Tim Harris: a Fearless, Hugging Special Olympics Athlete

In June, we released what we believe are five elements to a fearless approach in solving some of the world’s most pressing issues, in our new website and report, “To Be Fearless.” We are asking people to take the pledge to Be Fearless in one (or more!) of the following ways: 1) Make big bets and make history; 2) Experiment early and often; 3) Make failure matter; 4) Reach beyond your bubble; and 5) Let urgency conquer fear.

To celebrate the Olympics, we’ll be featuring a new blog series in partnership with the Special Olympics for the next few weeks, highlighting the fearless journeys of athletes, volunteers, and leadership from the organization. In part two, we are featuring Tim Harris—an athlete, Global Messenger (one of 12 international athlete spokespeople for the organization), and restaurant owner who has reached beyond his bubble and made fearless big bets.

Tim’s Place, located in located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides “the friendliest service in the world” and serves “breakfast, lunch and hugs.” Beyond the hugs and friendly service, this family restaurant is unique because of the fearless leader at the helm.

His name is Tim Harris. The 26-year-old is a Special Olympics New Mexico athlete and Global Messenger whose life has been defined by exceeding expectations.

In a speech to a group from Special Olympics that visited his restaurant, Tim said, “From the minute I was born, I always wanted to be a part of the world around me.” He joined Special Olympics in his youth and would go on to participate in several sports, including poly hockey, basketball, track and field, and others. And as he says, “I’ve earned more medals than Michael Phelps.” In 2008, Tim graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with certificates in Food Service and Office Skills. He worked at a variety of local restaurants including CiCi’s Pizza, Golden Corral, IHOP, and Peppers Bar and Grill.

Tim had always dreamed of owning his own restaurant. In October 2010, adhering to Walt Disney’s motto “If you can dream it, you can do it,” he opened Tim’s Place. Tim fearlessly lives out his personal mantra, which can be found on the wall of his office, “I am more like you than different.”

Not only did Tim reach beyond his bubble and surpass what most thought possible: he made a big bet and made history as he is the only person with Down Syndrome to own a restaurant. He epitomizes how to conquer fear and defy the odds and is truly an inspiration to all who encounter him.

Hugs are Tim’s measure of success. He doesn’t charge extra for the hugs and says “most customers order at least one, sometimes two” — he has a counter on the wall to track his hugs which is currently tracking more than 20,000 hugs. Not only is Tim teaching so many people how to Be Fearless, but he is actively bringing joy into the world every day. Because who couldn’t use a free hug?

See more of Tim’s story, in this CBS News video:

Learn more about the Special Olympics, and read part one in our series.

Special Olympics Athlete Loretta Claiborne’s Journey To Be Fearless

In June, we released what we believe are five elements to a fearless approach in solving some of the world’s most pressing issues, in our new website and report, “To Be Fearless.” We are asking people to take the pledge to Be Fearless in one (or more!) of the following ways: 1) Make big bets and make history; 2) Experiment early and often; 3) Make failure matter; 4) Reach beyond your bubble; and 5) Let urgency conquer fear.

To celebrate the Olympics, we’ll be featuring a new blog series in partnership with the Special Olympics for the next few weeks, highlighting the fearless journeys of athletes, volunteers, and leadership from the organization. In part one, the Special Olympics features Loretta Claiborne, an athlete and spokesperson who has embodied all of the fearless principles as she has spent her life achieving her dreams.

Loretta Claiborne grew up during the Civil Rights era partially blind with a developmental disability. She was the middle child of seven siblings born to a single mother. The odds were stacked against her. Yet, her story does not mire in pity or despair; rather it beams a radiant light of triumph over tribulation, joy over anger, and hope over fear.

Loretta did not walk or talk until the age of four. Once a child with little hope, who doctors did not think would amount to much, she has completed 26 marathons and travels the world speaking to all ages and educational levels about bullying and the importance of inclusion.

Loretta’s mother was told to put her child in an institution and forget about her. Even after her mom refused, Loretta was bullied so much at school by her peers, her only outward recourse was to use her fists to try and fight back, or sometimes use her feet to simply run away. But one day, she found Special Olympics and everything changed. Her anger was channeled to excelling as a world-class runner and becoming an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. Today, Loretta holds honorary doctorates from Villanova University and Quinnipiac College, converses in five languages, has a black belt in karate, was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and sits on the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.

Make Big Bets and Make History.

Loretta has made history and continues to change the way the world views people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Growing up in 1960s America as a poor, black female with disabilities was difficult – but Loretta showed the world and defied all the odds. Before it was publicly acceptable to advocate for people with ID, she courageously championed them and spoke out, bringing light to the horrible injustice that this population faces all over the world. Loretta set out to change attitudes, one person by one person, demonstrating the benefit of inclusive and accepting communities and how the world is a better place when every person is given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Loretta’s courage has changed the course of history for people with ID and is helping give them their rightful place in society. Her story is so powerful that in 2000, Disney produced a movie called “The Loretta Claiborne Story” about her strength and triumph.

Experiment Early and Often.

In a time in the U.S. where people with ID were often institutionalized and not treated equally, Loretta stood up, ran, fought and actively lived her life to show the world the capabilities of people with ID. She lives this out every day of her life, whether she is competing with Special Olympics, running a marathon, speaking to a group of students or going to the grocery store. She seizes opportunities and uses her abilities to be a force for good. Many years ago, Loretta learned to knit. She has used this skill by teaching teen mothers in her community how to knit so they can make clothes for their children. Following Hurricane Katrina, she worked furiously to knit baby caps for storm victims. And after visiting a school in South Africa that lacked the most basic supplies, she began a campaign of collecting school supplies and sending them regularly to the school.

Make Failure Matter.

Loretta exemplifies perseverance and the ability of the human spirit to overcome obstacles and failures. As a result of being bullied, Loretta became an angry child and was often getting in fights as a way to cope. After finding Special Olympics, Loretta learned that anger and fighting were not the solution. She learned that demonstrating what she, as a person with an intellectual disability, could do would help those accept her and others like her. She tells people of all abilities, “Be the best you can be and never let anyone doubt you. Find your opportunity and see what you can do.”

Reach Beyond Your Bubble.

Despite not being able to walk until she was four years old, Loretta utilizes the power of sport to create social change and inclusion and to promote development and peace. At the age of 50, after being an accomplished runner, Loretta reached beyond her athletic bubble and learned to figure skate, eventually competing in the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in figure skating. Loretta has used the power of sport to instill discipline and self-worth and taught us that adversity means nothing if you are able to step outside of your comfort zone.

Let Urgency Conquer Fear.

Despite significant progress, too many barriers still stand. Every day, all over the globe, people with disabilities are denied their basic human rights, denied access to health care, denied inclusion in their communities and schools and perhaps, most importantly, denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. Knowing that there are still miles to go in this journey, Loretta tirelessly works to overturn the oppression and injustice facing the estimated 200 million people with intellectual disabilities.

The White House Celebrates Corporate Pro Bono Service with A Billion + Change

On June 27, the Case Foundation was pleased to join our fellow leadership committee members at the White House along with other corporate, government, and nonprofit leaders who are creating social change through skills-based volunteerism. We were part of a celebration and a challenge issued by A Billion + Change, a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer services from the business community to nonprofits.

More than half of the 200 companies that have pledged to create or expand skills-based volunteering programs joined us to talk about how far corporations have come in the past 10 years or so in enabling their employees to donate their skills, and not just their time, to nonprofits. We talked about not only the benefits to companies’ nonprofit partners, but also to their employees and to their bottom line.

Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama and the Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, opened the forum and said that companies participating in A Billion + Change were a model for others driving positive social change around the world. Her comments were echoed later in the day by Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and by Billion + Change Honorary Chairman Senator Mark Warner, who said that at a time when nonprofits are facing decreased revenues and more work, pro bono from corporations is increasingly vital.

The sentiments from leaders in the public sector were matched by those in the private sector. Our CEO Jean Case led a panel with leaders from Deloitte, the Ritz-Carlton, Capital One, COTTON7, and Golin Harris to talk about the business benefits of supporting employee pro bono. Across the board, each of the panelists said that his employees and his company received at least as much value from nonprofit partners as was provided. Pro bono was characterized as a win-win-win proposition for companies, employees, and nonprofits.

We have come a long way since Jean Case helped to start A Billion + Change in 2008 when she was a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. So far, we are proud to announce that more than 200 companies have pledged over $1.8 billion and nearly 12 million hours worth of time and talent to nonprofits.

But, we still have a way to go to reach our goal. We are seeking a total of 500 companies willing to pledge their best business skills and talents to build the capacity of nonprofits at home and around the world. Together, we will inspire the largest commitment of corporate pro bono service in history so that one day, skills-based volunteering will be the ‘new normal’ in every workplace.

To join us in the pro bono movement, visit www.abillionpluschange.org and make a pledge.

Want to learn more?