Jane Addams

One of my heroes is Jane Addams, a community worker in Chicago in the early 20th century. Jane grew up in a wealthy family. She saw many problems in her community--poverty, poor working conditions, and few services for new immigrants. She decided to open up her home to use as a community center to address some of these problems. Jane Addams started providing all kinds of assistance to poor people in her neighborhood. She provided free English classes and job training. She also helped people with all kinds of problems that came up. Her home was called Hull House, and its reputation grew and grew. She was eventually awarded the Nobel Price in 1931. She was the first American woman to win that award.

I admire Jane Addams for a lot of reasons. She obviously did a lot of good for her community. She also worked hard to change the world at a time when women had very little power. Jane Addams was not even allowed to vote during most of her life, but she was able to influence her community for good. I admire her single-minded dedication. Jane Addams devoted her entire life to the Hull House and its mission. She could have stopped and lived a comfortable life, but she chose to remain dedicated to her community.