About — Tim's Big Heart Foundation

Our story starts with a baby.

When Jeannie and Keith found out the baby they were expecting had a developmental disability, they were scared.

Would they be able to provide the support the child needed? What resources would they need to bring to table? How would they best advocate for Tim?

It was through education, connection, and research that they realized they had many misconceptions on what having a disability means. They were able to imagine a more expansive future for Tim, which gave him the freedom to dream big.

Since he was a teenager, Tim knew he wanted to own a restaurant. This dream came true in 2010 with the opening of a restaurant called Tim’s Place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through this work and his success as a Special Olympics athlete, Tim gained notoriety, which led to him doing public speaking and writing a children’s book.

Through these engagements, Tim has been able to inspire and change lives.

Representation matters, and kids with disabilities see someone like them lead a room of neurotypical individuals with humor, heart, and grace. Not only that, but it allows adults to see that their expectations of individuals with disabilities needs reimagining.

During their travels, the Harris family witnessed the transformative power of Tim’s presence. The Harrises felt particularly called to the Caribbean after some personal experiences there, and thus Tim’s Big Heart Foundation was born. The current iteration of the Foundation was started in 2023.

For our launch, we are focusing our programming in Tim’s home state of New Mexico and two of his favorite places: Jamaica and Grenada. We will do this through our pillars of inspire, connect, and act.

INSPIRE

People cannot imagine futures they do not know are possibilities. We will be inspiring families to advocate for their kids, kids to engage with their peers with disabilities, businesses to think about how they can work with people with disabilities, and kids with disabilities to dream big about their future.

We will do this through tours where Tim reads his children’s book to schools and answers thoughtful questions from the audience. Tim also inspires others through corporate speaking events.

CONNECT

In 2023, we held our first islandwide picnics in Jamaica and Grenada. It was there that we heard that families were meeting other families who had kids with disabilities for the first time.

We also connect nonprofits doing direct service work with kids with disabilities with each other. As the old saying goes: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. We aim to connect all with an interest in this work to ensure we make lasting change.

ACT

After forging these relationships via inspiration and connection, we’ll have the trust to begin the conversations around what is missing in the community.

As we build these relationships with more communities, we’ll have learnings that can be shared. Once we identify gaps, we’ll work to wrap-around local businesses and foundations so any solution we come up with will be sustainable in the long-term.

Once we are serving a location, we stay there for the long-haul.

Our aim is to eventually serve all of Latin America and the Caribbean but this expansion will take place overtime.

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As the old saying goes,

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

Our Values

HOPE

Helping families create expansive futures requires that these families expect positive outcomes from their kids.

INNOVATION

We’re creating a new roadmap, and that will require us to be nimble, responsive, and iterative.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE + ACCEPTANCE

Inspired by our namesake (Tim Harris), we know that all humans are seeking validation and connection. We can do great work while also providing these things.

COMMUNITY-CENTERED

We believe those closest to the problem are best armed to come up with the solutions. We work in partnership with communities rather than creating one-size fits all approaches.

Meet Tim

With his big heart and contagious humor, Tim lives his life in pursuit of his dream to inspire and help others. With unwavering support from his family and friends as well as his own drive, he used his gifts of human interaction to live a meaningful life. From being voted Homecoming King by the largest margin of votes in his high school’s history to developing a new and successful approach to customer service that stems from love and acceptance, Tim has managed to become a diligent member of his community.

All of these accomplishments fueled Tim’s dream to open his own restaurant, which would further his mission to break down barriers between people and those with intellectual disabilities. After the opening of Tim’s Place in 2010, Tim’s public speaking career took off. He has spoken to crowds as large as over 65,000 people, sharing his inspirational ambition of dreams and his powerful belief in those with disabilities.

Tim continues to travel the globe doing what he does best: inspiring and helping others. He is best known for his famous hugs, which have reached everyone from music legend Stevie Wonder to a former President of the United States.

MEET OUR TEAM