Tim Easterwood, the founder and CEO of BizFleets, a national fleet management company, recently donated $1 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Easterwood’s announcement came on June 20th, during his speech at the Ishpeming Public School Halls of Excellence 2024 Induction Ceremony, at which he was being honored for being an outstanding graduate. As a note of reference, this small mining town in Michigan’s sparsely populated Upper Peninsula has produced Nobel Prize winners, best-selling authors, and other notable figures.
As Chairman of the Halls of Excellence, Brian Sarvello states in Easterwood’s introduction that he “needed to share the stories of successful alumni with current students that would identify with those who had to overcome adversity in their life to achieve greatness.” He goes on to say that “no one embodies that ideal better than Tim Easterwood, a 1981 graduate of Ishpeming High School.”
Easterwood was abandoned by his father at 5 years old and starting at the age of 10 he worked delivering newspapers, cutting lawns, and shoveling snow to help support his family. Tim’s work ethic continued into his later life. He worked his way up from a security guard at Ford Motor Company to a successful entrepreneur that has created several multimillion-dollar companies.
Tim Easterwood during his Halls of Excellence Induction Speech on June 20, 2024
Never forgetting his roots, Tim recognized his “Big Brother,” Dan Hill, in his speech. Commending Hill’s selflessness and compassion, Easterwood told the audience that in 1973 Dan returned home from the Vietnam War at 21 years old and signed up to be a Big Brother. He was assigned to Mark, one of the three Easterwood brothers; rather than only choosing one, Dan decided to become the Big Brother to all three. Big Brothers Big Sisters believes this was the first time in their history that a Big Brother chose three or more Little Brothers from one family. To honor Hill’s impact on his and his brother’s lives, Easterwood pledged $1 million to the organization that brought them together–Big Brothers Big Sisters–and is leading the effort to have Hill inducted into the National Big Brothers Big Sisters Hall of Fame.
Big Brother Dan Hill following Tim’s announcement.
At a recent event hosted by the organization to celebrate the donation, Tim labeled Hill’s impact “life-changing,” and calls Hill “family” after he and the Easterwood boys have remained part of each other’s lives after a total of 51 years and counting. He hopes that his contribution galvanizes others to do their part as well, whether that be through volunteering or monetary means. Tim’s story serves as a testament to what organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters can achieve when donations like Tim’s allow them to unlock untapped potential.
Dan and Tim with their awards from Big Brothers Big Sisters on June 28, 2024.
Our BizFleets team is proud to work under Tim Easterwood, showing us what it means to be an exemplary mentor, philanthropist, and human being.
Click here for a news story from TV6 with video coverage of the event.
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