Now that it’s officially spring and the weather is warming up, most people are trading in sweaters for swimsuits and fireside reading for poolside recreation. Like most, team Trophy Central enjoys partaking in warm weather activities, from baseball games and picnics to surfing and hiking. Spending time in the sun is a whole lot of fun but it does come with some risks. And all of us here at Trophy Central want nothing more than for families to stay both happy AND healthy.

Enter Susan A. Hughes, a Certified Melanoma Educator who brings awareness to the growing skin cancer epidemic. Congratulations, Susan, on winning the “Shining a Light to Save Lives” award! We’re delighted to welcome you to the Random Acts of Trophy-ness “Show Us Your Sue” family!

Susan’s nomination comes courtesy of past “Show Us Your Sue” award winner, author C.L. Murphy.

Thank you C.L. Murphy for nominating Susan for this award — and for sharing how melanoma has affected you personally.

Delivering More Smiles

Calling all “Show us Your Sue” trophy winners. It’s Trophy Central’s pledge to deliver smiles and we need your help to deliver more.

A trophy-worthy person doesn’t need to be someone with an active do-good campaign, a large following on social media or a household name. Sue Heck, the inspiration for our Random Acts of Trophy-ness campaign, was a high school misfit on The Middle (she’s now a slightly better fitting college student) whose high school yearbook was nonetheless signed by every person in her class for one reason: she made them feel better about themselves.

We want to grow our campaign supporting people who, in deeds large and small, make life a little gentler, kinder or amusing for those lucky enough to encounter them.

And we’re so busy making trophies for schools, athletic teams and businesses that we don’t get out much! So we really need you to be our eyes and ears to make our “Show Us Your Sue” campaign a long-running, smile-inducing success.

With that in mind, here are some examples of the types of people we think are trophy-worthy. We hope they inspire you to nominate at least two people this month and every month for the next twelve. Yes, that’s 24 nominations per trophy winner, but no goal is too big for the Sue Hecks of the world. And, if you don’t make the goal? Well, like Sue Heck, just keep trying.

Here are 10 ideas to kick off the new expanded version of our “Show Us Your Sue” campaign. People we believe would make Sue Heck proud include:

1. The homeless person who ALWAYS smiles at you even though you never offer him any spare change.
2. The homeless person who sits outside a pet supply store and never asks for money, only food to feed the dog he holds in his arms.
3. The barista who always remembers, not just your order but your name and asks you about the book you’re carrying under your arm.
4. The neighbor who gets up before dawn to snow plow your driveway because he knows you stay up late caring for a special needs child.
5. The man with a cane who gives up his seat on the subway so you can sit down and nurse your infant.
6. The woman who buys two lottery tickets every day and always hands out one of them to the person standing behind her, saying nothing more than “good luck” when she does.
7. The high school coach who always brings an extra lunch with him to feed a student who would otherwise go without.
8. The teacher who encouraged a quiet student to take an improv class to boost his confidence.
9. The creator of a TV show that made you laugh when you were sick, lonely or afraid.
10. ANYONE who made you smile when you really needed one, someone you know would smile broadly if they received a trophy in the mail (or you delivered one to them personally.)

You get the idea. Please help us spread smiles. Nominate someone today with their contact information (or yours if you will hand-deliver a trophy.) Don’t have anyone in mind? Ask your friends, coworkers and family members for the names of potential nominees.

Can’t think of anyone? We don’t believe you! Anyone who has won a trophy attracts kind and altruistic people. Start sending your nominations today – and keep them coming! The world needs more smiles.

Let’s Get Nominating!

We are calling upon the following Random Acts of Trophy-ness “Show Us Your Sue” winners to nominate, nominate, nominate!

1. Krithika Rangarajan (Excellence in Pet Adoption Advocacy)

2. Chloe Pink (Best Girl Power Advocate)

3. Jill Cofsky (Excellence in Teaching and Inspiring Students)

4. Kristen Lamb (Excellence in Inspiring Kids to Read and Write)

5. Gomee Girl (Excellence in Girl Empowerment

6. Jennifer Broderick (Excellence in Inspiring the World Through Art)

7. Johnnie Tuitel (Excellence in Inspiring the World to Live Without Boundaries)

8. Kathleen Egan (Excellence in Helping High School Students Reach Their Highest Potential)

9. Meghedi Khashaki (Excellence in Compassion, Honesty and Spirit)

10. The KOTAW Girl Gang (Excellence in Bravery, Determination, Creativity, Kindness & Pit Bull Advocacy)

11. Angel’s mom, Rebecca Corry (The One and Only ANGEL Award)

12. Krystian Leonard (Excellence in Inspiring Girls of All Ages To Love Their Bodies and Let Their Inner Beauty Shine)

13. Bagel Mom (Outstanding Achievement in Altruism)

14. Sherry Lee White (Excellence In Inspiring Others to Say ‘Yes’ to the Life of Their Dreams)

15. Ily “Sweetsie Sue” Scott (Best Positive Spirit: Changing the World with Kindness and Love)

16. Mariann Asbury (The “Heart as Big as the Ocean” Award)

17. C.L. Murphy (Excellence in Teaching Kindness Toward Animals)

18. Susan A. Hughes (Shining a Light to Save Lives Awareness Award)

Alright friends, let’s get nominating! You can nominate your Random Acts of Trophy-ness pick in the comments section below or on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #ShowUsYourSue. Don’t forget to tell us why your nominee is trophy-worthy!