Local man commits to life of helping others after a talk with God, surviving leukemia

When the Darrell Waltrip Automotive Group kicked off their Hometown Heroes campaign they knew there were many deserving people and unsung heroes in the communities of Middle Tennessee. What they didn’t anticipate was the stories that would come from those making the nominations, specifically the story of Earl Hensel.

“We’ve tried with our Hometown Heroes campaign to choose diverse heroes from all walks of life and from many different nominations. Time and time again, five times to be exact, Earl has brought us individuals with incredible stories, heroes by any standard,” said John Gallagher, DWA’s vice president and executive general manager. “As we have gotten to know Earl we have learned that the way Earl comes across all of these heroes is by working side by side with them volunteering in our community and helping others.”

Earl’s heroes have included local veteran Mike Reeder; special needs teacher Jan Lincoln; MADD advocate and survivor Millie Webb; Lu Sipos, creator of the Chemo Duck; and Paul Fleenor, a local veteran who led the charge to bring the Honor Flight Program to Middle Tennessee. Because of Earl’s initiative to nominate these locals, each of his heroes has been celebrated for their accomplishment and thousands of dollars have been given to local charities on their behalf.

Read more at Williamson Herald.