Every year the Weather Research Center honors 2-3 individuals or groups as weather heroes. Two years ago, a Coast Guard helicopter rescue crew was recoginized for their efforts during Hurricane Ike. These crew members rescued scores of individuals trapped by rising tides prior to Hurrican Ike's landfall near Galveston.

Last year, a group of science teachers from the Kinkaid School in Houston was recoginized for their efforts in promoting educational programs for their students.

This years Weather Heroes include the American Meteorological Society (AMS) for ten years of WeatherFest activity. The AMS has sponsored local weather festivals at city's around the country, exposing tens of thousands of students and their parents to a wide variety of weather related programs. Locally, KHOU-TV, the local CBS affiliate is being honored for their Weather Day at the Houston Astro's baseball games. In addition, Kenneth Graham the Meteorologist In Charge (MIC) of the Slidell, LA National Weather Service office is being honored for his efforts during the BP oil spill incident.

I have volunteered at WRC for a great many years and at a variety of functions. I helped set up exhibits at the Museum when it first opened and have watched it grow from Day One! Watching kids go through the different exhibits and answering their questions is extremely rewarding. If the Museum can expand, more kids will have even greater opportunities to learn anout the history of weather and how if affects everything around them.