Max Warburg didn’t mope, not when his doctor told him he couldn’t ride his bike any more or when a bone marrow donor proved tough to find.

“He was so brave and so cheerful,” said his mother, Stephanie Warburg. “He would stand up in front of people and say, ‘Maybe you can’t help me, but maybe you can help the six thousand other people who need bone marrow.’”

Max’s bravery in the face of the leukemia that would claim his life has gone on to inspire kids from the Boston area and across the globe through the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum.

Max was 11 when he fell off his bike while summering with his family in Marion. Searing pain filled his chest and stomach, signaling something much worse than a few bumps and bruises. Max’s doctor examined him and called an ambulance to take him to Boston Children’s Hospital where Max was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.

Although a perfect bone marrow match was found, Max was unable to recover. He passed away in March 1991.

Later that year, his parents, Jonathan and Stephanie, Boston residents, founded a nonprofit organization to encourage kids to be brave no matter what circumstances they face.

“We decided this would be a wonderful thing to commemorate Max,” said Stephanie. “[We wanted] to help children know you could find a place within yourself to do the right thing and stand up to bullies and stand up to people who sell drugs.”

Based at Northeastern University, the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, now in its 24^th year, began as a program for sixth graders in Boston Public Schools to help them engage with literature and find courage within themselves. It has since expanded to ninth graders and can be found in 18 states and in more than five countries.

Students read young adult novels on the Max Challenge curriculum list, including Katherine Patterson’s classic “Bridge to Terabithia” and Lois Lowery’s “Number the Stars.” The program, which aligns with the Common Core, culminates in the “Courage in My Life” essay. Teachers enter their students' essays into a national competition.

“It started out as being in the Boston public schools. It kind of grew by itself,” said Stephanie.

For the essay contest, at least one child wins from each school in the Boston area, along with a national winner. Several international students also get their essays published in the annual “The Courage of Children Boston and Beyond” anthology.

Stephanie, who often visits schools, has seen firsthand how the curriculum can change children’s lives.

A little boy with alopecia was picked on by his classmates until he read his essay to the class. Suddenly his tormenters became his protectors.

“The kids felt really bad, and they then identified with him,” said Stephanie. “On the playground, if anybody got near him, they’d beat them up.”

The kids' 180 was inspiring (though their teachers did help them respond without violence.)

In Lebanon, the program will be used at a school this year to help local children bond with Syrian refugees.

The head of school “thinks it will give them something in common to work together,” Stephanie said.

The essays themselves are raw and honest.

Zachary Longo of Holten Richmond Middle School wrote about having Asperger’s Syndrome.

“Sometimes courage is just being who you are,” wrote Zachary. “Courage is being oneself against all odds.”

T’keywa Charles, a student in Indiana wrote about fleeing Hurricane Katrina and the harrowing days that followed.

“To hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength,” wrote T’keywa.

Stephanie said the Courage Curriculum has grown beyond anything she could have imagined.

“It’s just amazing how it grows and how these people adapt it to where they’re living,” she said.

As more kids share their stories, Stephanie believes it will inspire their peers living across the globe to have courage and compassion.

“More and more children can read about each other and the trials and tribulations that we all face, and it will help them all understand the world better,” said Stephanie, who continues to split her time between Marion and Boston with her husband.

She added, “What makes me happy about it is I feel that Max’s spirit lives on. He was such a lovely child and the lovely part of his being continues to thrive.”

Max Challenge Courage Curriculum is open to any school. Staff from the organization will train teachers and provide resources to get the program started.

For more information, visit maxcourage.org.