Short of the glory that comes through knowing Jesus, there is no greater message that Kristen Sharp can share than the message of Liberty’s Legacy.

Sharp has the honor, the privilege, the joy of traveling across the state, from Huntsville to the Gulf Coast, sharing the message of liberty and freedom to students of all ages.

Although she is a professional actress and has appeared in Broadway shows, there is no bigger role she could play than that of “Libby” Liberty.

“I was in New York on 9/11 but I came home to Birmingham and I love the role that I am playing now,” said Sharp who presented the Liberty’s Legacy program to elementary students at Pike Liberal Arts School Monday.

As Libby Liberty, she brings the Statue of Liberty into focus, physically, and into to life, symbolically.

To put the Statue of Liberty into perspective, Sharp said Lady Liberty’s mouth is the size of electric guitar. Her finger is eight feet in length or the size of a car. Her height is 305 feet, which is the length of a football field.

Symbolically, Lady Liberty has a torch in her right hand, which is a beacon light of freedom. In her left hand, Lady Liberty holds a tablet with the date, July 4, 1776, America’s Independence Day. Around her feet are chains that have been broken. The broken chains represent freedom from aggression.

“The Statue of Liberty stands for everything that makes America great,” Sharp said. “It is an enduring symbol of freedom and is the embodiment of the ideas and ideals our country was founded upon.

“In many of the schools across Alabama, civics is not taught anymore. Liberty’s Legacy is the perfect introduction to America’s story. The story puts lights in the eyes of young children.

“It is also a reminder to all of the amazing opportunities and responsibilities we have as citizens of the United States.

It teaches our ‘Next Generation of Great Americans’ to recognize and appreciate our hometown heroes. It shows the young students that they call all be hometown heroes, no matter what where they live or what their circumstances in life.”

Sharp said it is important for students to understand, at an early age, that, to be a hero, it’s not necessary to do big things.

“The small things that you do for your community and for others add up to be important things,” she said. “You can be a hero in a small town. You can make a big and lasting impact on the lives of others and on your community. You do not have to live in a big city or do big things to be a hero. Small things can have a huge impact.”

Libby Liberty told the PLAS students that all great Americans, including George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thomas Edison, had one thing in common – the love of country.

If today’s young Americans exhibit that same love of country and uphold the symbolic ideals, of Lady liberty, they will be the Next Generation of Great Americans and will do great things in big and small ways, Sharp said.

Liberty’s Legacy is sponsored by Troy Bank & Trust. Becky Baggett, PLAS principal, expressed appreciation to TB&T and to Liberty’s Legacy for providing PLAS students with the opportunity to participate.