“My dad taught me how to skate when I was three years old. He’s been making me a better hockey player since. He used to play hockey. Now my dad and brother are coaches for my team [Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey].

“I play center and offense. I really want to get more goals. I was just nominated to be an alternate captain. I’ve never been nominated before.  I do love all the great games and practices, plus we have the best fans in the world! I go to the banquets every year. 

“My senior year, my boyfriend asked me to prom at the banquet. I was happy crying. My mom got really emotional too. 

“I’m also a global messenger for Special Olympics. I do lots of speeches for events and fundraisers. 

“Right now I go to COD. It stands for College of DuPage, but my friend calls it ‘College of Dreams.’ My friend and I are taking a horticulture class there. I’m also in the [STEPS] transition program.  I take some classes and right now, I’m working on Mondays at Buffalo Wild Wings and Fridays at Cici's Pizza. On Tuesdays, I work at Teacher Peach, where I do office work—lots of filing, shredding, and packaging. I want to challenge myself.

"What I want to do in the future is move to Florida. My dad and I are going to start a business together. We have a dream of building a waffle shack on Marco Island. It’s my favorite place to be. We go a lot. I like to go the beach and fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves. And I always go to the hot tubs—they are calling my name. 

“My world is beautiful because I love to hang out with lots of people.”

After graduating high school in 2015, Blake and his parents met Tim Harris (of Tim’s Big Heart Foundation) at a gala. Thanks to inspiration from Tim, they opened Blake’s Snow Shack in May of 2016. The biggest surprise for all of them has been the overwhelming response from people near and far—with some customers driving three and four hours to come see Blake and try some of their most popular snow cone flavors . . . including the hands-down favorite . . . Dill Pickle!

Best thing about owning your own shop? "Meeting people. Going cool places."

Hardest thing? "Long hours."

Favorite things to do at your shop? "Putting out chairs. Pouring snow cones. Talking to people."

Favorite snow cone flavor? "Blue Coconut"

What makes you happiest? "My mom. Friends. Seeing people."

What does Down syndrome mean to you? "I’m going to D.C.!" (This April, Blake and his family will travel to D.C., where NDSS will award the very first Blake Pyron Entrepreneurship Scholarship!)

"My happiest memories are from SpringHill Camp. It was in Indiana. I had a best counselor, and I had lots of fun! My counselor was named Braydon, but I called him 'Bread.' I loved the zipline. And we did mud wars—I was covered in mud. Every day we went to the gift shop and got some food and some pink lemonade. The lake was my favorite thing—especially going down the gusher slide—you had to cross your legs and hold your nose!

"What makes me sad is that I miss my brother. He’s doing some studying in Iowa. When he’s home I do lots of fun things with him. We play games like Wii, Settlers of Catan, and Super Fight. He’ll be home soon. I plan to clean up before he comes.

 "My favorite place to be is at my school, because I like to listen to my teacher and do my work. Math class is my favorite. I’d love to grow up to be a teacher. I’d like to teach the little kids, because kids have to learn about math and reading. I want to live in an apartment by myself. I also want to be like my dad, because my dad is a goofball. He loves saying goofy words to me."

Favorite place to be and things to do? "At the cabin. Swimming in the lake or tubing, on Don’s boat. Watching movies and cartoons."

Who do you look up to? "My buddy, Paul Monaco, from South. We get ice cream."

What’s the most important thing in life? "French fries."

 Where would you like to work someday? "At a pool."

What are you most thankful for? "Lunch, sandwiches, family, Grandma Sally, Uncle Mike, Aunt Leslie, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets."

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? "I like to read. Some of my favorite books are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Charlie Joe Jackson books, and college football books. I’m a Michigan State fan!

"I have lots of good friends. We hang out and talk. I like going to movies and having dessert with them.

"Today we have rehearsal for the musical, Annie. I play Miss Hannigan. I get to sing 'Easy Street' and 'Little Girls.' This is the fifth show I’ve done. I’ve also been in Shrek, Peter Pan, Mulan, and James and the Giant Peach. My favorite is always the one I’m doing.

Proudest moment? "Running and getting a gold medal in track!"

Someone you admire? “Usain Bolt, because he runs a lot and gets gold medals also. I watched the Olympics this summer. I also thought Michael Phelps was really good, and he’s a swimmer like me."

What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a police officer because criminals commit crimes, and police officers arrest the suspects. They also pull people over when they are speeding and give them a ticket."

Favorite baseball memory? "Eating ice cream at a Cincinnati Reds game at Great American Ball Park."

Three words that describe you best? "Funny. Likable. Musical."

Favorite thing to do and place to be? "Dancing in the living room to rap music by Flo Rida, because it’s fun. I also like watching baseball videos and the All-Star Games." 

Favorite subject in school? "Science. I liked learning about the solar system."

What are you most thankful for? "Food; my smile; and Philip, my dog." 

Tim has lost almost 80 pounds! 

What’s your secret?  “I eat a lot of salads. I like to eat healthy. I also stay very active. I do Special Olympics volleyball, basketball, hockey, bowling, track and field, and soccer. I have a daily routine. I walk and run on the treadmill for 15 minutes in the morning, and I lift weights.”

What’s been the hardest challenge you’ve had to face—and what has helped get you through?  “Some of my friends moved away and that was the hardest time for me. I got through that with my family and my life coach.  I’ve learned it’s OK to tell other people that I do miss them.”

Out of all the people you’ve met over the years, who is it you most admire?  “I most admire all my friends, and my best friends, my family, and my dad. My dad has had the biggest impact.  My dad helped me create the dream of my restaurant. I call my dad my superhero for all that.”

Tell us your dream—what’s on your bucket list?  “I have some big dreams. I want to get married and be a dad one day. I also want to become a businessman and travel more. I really enjoy traveling.”

“I like life so much. I don’t know why. I never have bad days.

“I graduated last year from high school, and now I’m in the transition program, where I do some cooking and shopping, and I work and learn. My same friends are there.

“I like working at Central DuPage Hospital best, because I love the people there. I like to help kids and people a lot. Right now, I’m working in the cafeteria. Sometimes it’s messy. I clean off the tables and wipe them down. I also help in an office. I like to work and clean. And I like to be kind and helpful.

“I’ve been playing piano and taking dance lessons since I was a little girl. I have a lot of piano pieces I play—mostly songs from Disney. I’m also a good actor. I’ve never had stage fright before.

“My favorite place to visit is Jamestown, New York, because I like to watch I Love Lucy, and she was born there. Her house is still there. At the Museum, they’ve set up the rooms with the scenes from the show. I like the show with the chocolates best. It’s so funny! Lucy can’t talk because she’s eating so much!

“I want to go to New York City someday and get a job there because it’s my favorite state and my favorite city. My dream is to be a nurse there and to help people.”

“Acting is my favorite thing to do.  My two favorite characters to pretend to be are the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, and Shrek. I am playing a weasel right now in The Wind in the Willows. It’s with All for One Productions. We have six real performances. I like playing the Weasel, especially when I get to sneak up behind Rat to scare her!

“I’m a junior in high school. The hardest thing in school for me is math because math is hard. Bowling is my favorite sport. I bowl every Saturday. I also like to cook in the kitchen. I like to make ravioli, fajitas, and guacamole.

“I think the most important thing in life is God, because we can trust Him and we love Him. He’s almighty. We listen to God and sing to Him. He is strong and He will be your friend. He will comfort you when you are afraid.”

“I have two sisters--Sarah is 16 and Emily is 17. My sisters drive. Sometimes they take me out to lunch or shopping. I have a sleepover tonight with my big sister Sarah in her room. Every Friday night, we have a sleepover. We watch movies, pop popcorn, and eat it. I love my sisters because they make me laugh.”

Photo credit: Emily Ruth Photography

“I’ve worked at the cafeteria at North Central College for three years. I clean the tables and put things away. I like it because I get to spend a lot of time talking with the football players. The football coach gave me a pass to go to the football and basketball games for free. I get free food too! I wish I could go to every home game. I like to sit with the older football players. I have a friend from high school who went to North Central, and he still comes to some of the games. Sometimes we sit together.

“In my free time, I like to go to the library. I check out CDs and books. My favorite books are the Chronicles of Narnia. I also like to check out cookbooks, and then we make the recipes at home. My favorite things to make are spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and pasta with shrimp . . . that’s really good!

“I also like to sing and play guitar. My favorite artist is Chris Tomlin. I like all of his songs. We go to a Joni and Friends camp every year in Muskegon, Michigan, and I always do their talent show. One of the songs I perform sometimes is, 'Good Good Father.'

“I have a new guitar. My oldest brother Steve let me have one of his, so now I have three guitars.  Every Sunday, we go to College Church in Wheaton. They have big bulletins, and they put the songs in them. I keep them and I’ve made a book out of them. Then every time we go to Florida (when we go on vacation), I put each verse of the songs into a PowerPoint page. I probably have 100 to 125 songs on PowerPoint now.

“On my days off, I was planning my wedding. But I don’t have a girlfriend yet, so I’m just planning right now—mostly all the songs. It will be Christian songs, like 'O Worship the King,' and 'In Christ Alone.'"

"Trick-or-Treat!"

What do you like best about Halloween? "Treats!"

What are a few of your favorite things? "Swimming and swinging."

Tim owned Tim’s Place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 2010 until December of 2015. Known as the “world’s friendliest restaurant,” Tim’s Place featured a special, the Tim Hug, guaranteed to “improve your lease on life,” according to the menu. The restaurant also featured a counter that kept track of the number of hugs Tim gave out.

You were one of the first men with Down syndrome to own a restaurant. What do you want to say to young people with Down syndrome everywhere about achieving their dreams? “My answer has to be I want people with special needs to dream big and live independently just like I have.  I also would tell them, ‘Believe in other people and yourself!’”

What were the best and most challenging aspects of owning your restaurant, and who was your most memorable guest? “The best part of owning my own restaurant was meeting the people who came in through the front door. I made them feel welcomed and loved. On my YouTube video, it shows that I gave 75,402 hugs!

“The biggest challenge was trying to answer the phone and greet people at the same time.”

“One of the people I remember most was the musician Aloe Blacc, who came to the restaurant because we did things for Special Olympics. He came out to support the World Games. He’s famous and he took time to came out to support Special Olympics.”

Why did you start Tim’s Big Heart Foundation and what do you hope to achieve? “I started my foundation so we can help empower and motivate people with special needs to dream big and live independently and break down barriers.

“I do about 30 to 40 speeches a year, and I’m still traveling a lot more. I’ve traveled around the country, and the world—to Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and the White House.

“I’ve done lots of TV interviews and been on talk shows. I got asked to go to New York City and be on The View with Whoopi Goldberg and Jenny McCarthy. I also got asked to talk about my life and my restaurant on a talk show in Brazil. I travel with my life coach—she travels with me a lot. This year, I’ll be going to Mexico twice to speak.

“The CEO of Special Olympics also invited me to a State Dinner with President Obama. I asked my mom and dad to come with me. I shook the President’s hand and gave him a hug. That was a special moment right there. Oh yeah!” [Check out the video:  >>President Obama gets a hug from Tim <<]

[This is Part 1 of our interview. Watch for more next week.]

Favorite joke? Will: “What’s the difference between curtains and toilet paper?”        (Sam: I don’t know.) Will: “Then don’t go at my house.”

How was Homecoming?  "I asked Katie to go with me. We went to a restaurant at Arrowhead, and then we went to the dance with a big group of people. It was fun. I loved the music, food, and drinks. Next year, I’ll ask my friend Kimmy."

Dream vacation? "I would like to go to Ireland because I am Irish. I might be wearing green." 

Person you admire? "Blake Shelton, because I like his country music, and his songs. I also like his voice, and I like him on The Voice."

Most memorable trip? "I think California. I went with my dad. We did some business stuff, and sometimes we do epic stuff. I liked the food and drinks, especially In-N-Out Burger."

Favorite movie? "I like Angry Birds. It’s a fowl movie."

 

 

“I used to take piano, but now I play the bass. It’s tricky to play, because you know how that feels when your pinky gets really tired? I like playing in the orchestra at school because I like to play instruments.

“I’ve been riding horses a long time . . . since I was three or four. I go to a place where there’s a house and there’s a barn where the horses live.  The horses' names are Bella, Cody, and Tally. Fallon died. I like Bella best because she’s a Quarter Horse. She’s smaller. I can get off her all by myself, with no help from anyone!”

"In my free time, I like to be with my friends and family. I like listening to music, watching TV, going on my phone, and doing stuff with my brother, Matthew. We have two cats named Jack and Steve. I also like playing with the cats.

“Someday I'd like to have a job working around animals, maybe a veterinarian helper, because I really like cats and dogs. I’d like to go to college and have my own apartment, and I would like to have a dog named Lily.” 

"Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my friends. Then we're going to come back to my house to watch a movie. We've been friends like, forever. We're going to have so much fun. It's really important to have friends so you can be nice to one another, love them, and be who you are. My friends are good to me.

"Friends make you feel, deep down inside of you, like an angel's voice--like someone is calling your name."