The “Fierce Five” gold medalist — who has teamed withSparkling Iceto announce their second annualCheers to Heroes program, which celebrates and honors America’s unsung heroes — spoke to PEOPLE about being an inspiration, herself, to many young women.
“A huge responsibility,” she adds of being a hero to others, “but every single day I wake up so grateful.”
“I text them like, ‘Hey, how’s everything going?’ " the famed athlete says. “And just uplift them because gymnastics is a very hard sport, a very long journey. So, anywhere I can add my piece, anywhere that piece of the puzzle and it fits correctly, then I am there.”
Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast,PEOPLE Every Day,to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
“I look up to so many people because I believe so many people can do and have added their piece, their voice, their uniqueness to the world,” she explains. “There’s so much that we can learn from different people. So I can’t even tell you my favorite one because I have some many quotes and inspirational things and vibes through so many different people, celebrities, athletes, you name it.”
Sparkling Ice’s Cheers to Heroes program began last year, with thousands of local heroes — such as first responders, community activists, teachers, healthcare workers and more — nominated and honored for their selflessness. This year’s nominations are officially open from now until May 31, and the winning hero will receive $10,000 while the nominator can also win $500.
For Douglas, drawing attention to the next batch of people changing the world is more important than ever to her. In fact, she’s realized that many of those heroes are those that “work behind the scenes” to make a difference.
“That really made me just have an awareness of how much goes into companies and products and how things came to be through so many different people,” she explains. “Because it definitely takes a village to build a community, build a product, build a company.”
“So honestly,” Douglas adds, “I never want to take for granted ever again how much effort and time and people have gone into so many different things.”
source: people.com
