Central New York's Avengers

Saturday, April 28, 2018 is National Superhero Day, a day created by the employees of Marvel Comics to honor superheroes everywhere--both fictional and real. In that spirit, Beth joined forces recently with Adam Lawless (above) to raise super amounts of money for charity and serve as a symbol for everyday heroes.

Everyone knows Batman, Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Hulk and Spiderman. They're great role models for our children. They serve and protect while fighting evil. But, there are superheroes walking among us every day in the schools, businesses and homes of Central New York.

According to the National Day Calendar, fictional heroes are great, but real ones are important too:

Our real-life superheroes may not have super powers or wear capes, but they are also great role models who serve and protect while fighting evil. Military personnel, police officers and firefighters are just a few of the heroes who protect us on a daily basis.

So, with that in mind, we thought we'd get the ball rolling with a few ideas for Central New York superheroes:

-Rob Palmieri and Jackie Izzo. The mayors of Utica and Rome, respectively, put in long hours to serve their communities, and they both walk the streets often to reach out and touch their constituents.

-Jim Boeheim and Juli Boeheim. Sure, the Super Coach of the Syracuse University basketball team is legendary ON the court, but he and his wife have fought tirelessly to improve the lives of inner-city kids and also raise millions for cancer research.

-Utica Comets. The iron men of the ice have brought pride to the Mohawk Valley region both in and out of the rink.

-Rob Maciol. Our own Incredible Hulk fights crime as the Oneida County Sheriff, and he's ALWAYS available to provide great safety info for the public via the media.

That's a start. But we KNOW there are some other local heroes we need to hear about, so send in your nominations.