About Us

Singing for Heroes

By Samantha Roth

Looking over the crowd at Young Patriot Club’s annual Hearts for Heroes program, I saw

the smiling faces of the parents, grandparents, younger siblings, aunts and uncles who had come

to see us perform. And then there were the people that we were putting on this program for. The

heroes. What made them different from the other people in the audience was what they had done. What they’d been willing to do. Many of them wore hats or jackets bearing the name of the

branch of the military or war that they had served in. Those people had been willing to sacrifice

everything to ensure that we stayed free and safe in this country. And we had the honor of

singing for them.

At my first Young Patriot’s practice, I remember looking at the American’s Creed and

thinking: we’re going to memorize all that?! We did, and it was easier and more fun than I had

expected that it would be. While memorizing long pieces such as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech are hard work, every moment that we

spend in practice learning them is more than worth it. We go to events as a group and perform

them with sign language in front of audiences of people who should be given a standing ovation

for all that they have done and sacrificed for those of us who live in this country. Getting on

stage is not about drawing attention to ourselves, it’s about serving those who are watching and

listening and telling them that we are thankful. In Young Patriot’s Club, we focus on serving and

giving thanks. We have been blessed by God, and we want to use everything that He has blessed

us with to serve Him and those around us, especially veterans, first responders, and those in the

military.

The best thing about being part of Young Patriots Club is the way that it allows me and

the other club members to uplift and encourage others. So many of our veterans have gone

through so much for us. Shouldn’t we do what we can to serve them? I have been able to talk

with many veterans before or after we’ve performed and have heard their stories. These men and women that many of us are see in our daily lives are truly heroes. Some of their stories have

made us laugh, others brought tears to our eyes. It is an enormous blessing to be able to speak to these people and all of the others in the audience through our songs and recitation and let them know how much we appreciate them. We know that it was not easy to do what they did. And yet they still did it. For me and many of the other Young Patriots, hearing how much seeing us perform means to these heroes is incredible and makes us want to do more.

Young Patriots Club has performed at many programs, including Memorial Day

programs at McLaren’s Funeral Home and the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, the Peace Officer

Memorial, the American Red Cross Heroes of the Heartland Breakfast, the Veteran’s Day

Celebration at the Iowa Gold Star Museum, and our own Hearts for Heroes program. Each of the

programs is special, unique and a privilege to be at. We have heard prominent people in our

community speak, and have been able to talk with them. Most of the Young Patriots agree that

performing is the part of YPC that we enjoy the most, along with making new friends and

meeting amazing people.

We created our Hearts for Heroes program to help us to accomplish our mission to honor

God and uplift our American heroes. There are many different ways that we try to pursue that

goal, although the mission never ends. Young Patriots Club has helped me to grow in many

ways, as a servant, singer, leader, American and Christian.

Standing on the stage at Hearts for Heroes, I smiled at our audience- at the heroes that

were there to see us perform- as the first notes of the song drifted into the air. I took a deep

breath, and with the other Young Patriots, sang.

Honoring Our Veterans and Military

Iowa Veterans Home Pre-Laying of the Wreaths Program

Memorial Day Program at McLaren's Funeral Home

Memorial Day Program at Iowa Veterans Cemetery

Memorial Day Weekend CW Iowa Live segment

Vietnam Veteran Recognition Program

Governor Kim Reynolds's Thank You Reception for Puppy Jake Foundation

Puppy Jake Foundation Valentines for Veterans Fundraiser

Veterans Day Program Iowa Veterans Cemetery 

Veterans Day Celebration at the Iowa Gold Star Museum 

Guest Appearance on Life 107.1

Honoring Our First Responders

Peace Officer Memorial 

American Red Cross Heroes of the Heartland breakfast

West Des Moines Fire Department Memorial Program

9/11 March to the Capitol - Des Moines

Honoring New Citizens

Citizenship Ceremony at the Jordan House

Honoring Others

Christmas carols and flag raising at Living History Farms 

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the Jeff Angelo Radio Show

Singing for the Senior Ministries of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

Young Patriots Club's 3rd Annual YPC's Annual Hearts for Heroes Night