You may think superheroes only exist in the movies or comics, but visit East Brunswick, N.J., and you’ll find one in the flesh. Last year the Elks Drug Awareness Program partnered with Marvel Comics to create an essay contest, in search of a young hero making the right choices. When they read Vincent Buccigrossi’s essay titled “Be a Hero,” they knew they found one.

Anthony Buccigrossi, Vincent’s father, first brought the Elks comic home to his family after seeing it at the East Brunswick, N.J., Lodge. It featured Elroy the Elk, Spiderman and the Fantastic Four battling underage drinking, and included an essay contest for kids about the great things you can do when drug-free. The grand prize included toys, a comic subscription and the winner’s likeness featured in a Marvel comic book.

Growing up in a family of avid comic readers and believing in the subject matter himself, Vincent knew he wanted to enter the contest but never imagined he’d take the big prize. As he sat down to write the essay, he found the inspiration from his own experiences and wrote from the heart. “I wanted to share how I felt about the danger of drugs and that it’s ok to look up to people who don’t do them,” Vincent explains.

As time passed, the contest slipped to the back of his mind. On the drive to his Boy Scout Troop’s award ceremony, Vincent thought it’d be just like any other banquet. Little did he know, his dad had a big surprise in store for him.

“When we received the grand-prize package in the mail, I could barely contain myself,” says Vincent’s father and Scoutmaster Anthony Buccigrossi. “Since the following evening was our Troop’s Court of Honor, my wife and I only had to keep it from him for a day!”

The news was such an unexpected surprise, that when his dad announced it to the 40 attendees, Vincent was speechless. “It blew me away to think that people not only noticed my essay, but believed in what I wrote,” he says.

As the grand prize winner, Vincent recently received his $500 worth of toys and a year’s subscription to a Marvel comic. But the prize he’s most excited about is being featured in a comic with a character drawn to his likeness. “The toys are great, but a comic is something I can keep as a memento throughout my life,” says Vincent. He’d like to someday show his own kids the comic and tell them that if they try hard enough they can accomplish anything.

Vincent to the Rescue! At first glance, Vincent acts like any other teenager. The ninth grader is active in track and with his Boy Scout troop, and enjoys hanging out with his friends. On the not-so-typical side, he can also add national essay winner and role model to the list.

When he’s not writing about the right thing to do, he’s putting his words into action. Vincent writes in his essay, “A real hero doesn’t just make a decision for himself but sets the example for others to follow.” As a Den Chief and mentor for his troop, Vincent does just that. When he spends time with the fourth- and fifth- grade scouts, he tries to show them that it’s ok to be true to yourself and make the right decisions.

Vincent says the best advice he can give kids his age struggling with peer pressure is to stay tough and not cave in. “Being drug-free will have a positive affect on you,” Vincent writes. “Sure you won’t be able to fly, shoot webs from your wrists or stop a train with your bare hands, but you can make something great of yourself.” This real-life hero will soon be catapulted into superhero stardom and featured in a comic near you!

The Elks National Foundation has allocated $659,000 for the Drug Awareness Program in 2007-08. To read Vincent’s essay in its entirety, visit www.elks.org/drugs and search 'Program News'.