Thirteen years ago, Malachi Coleman and his little sister were abandoned by their mother. The siblings immediately went into the foster care system. Malachi claimed this was a miserable experience fraught with abuse and poor care. A few years later, the Coleman’s decided to adopt Malachi and his sister. The Coleman’s provided a loving home and a way for the siblings to stay together. However, as Miranda attests, Malachi was a broken kid.
Today Malachi acknowledges that he was a selfish jerk who only looked out for himself throughout high school. This was a frustrating experience for the Coleman’s. They wanted Malikah to mature and become a good person. So, one day Miranda challenged Malachi to do just one positive thing for someone else. She named off over 100 gestures that he could do. He shot each suggestion down. After an exhausting conversation, Malachi agreed to open one door for one person. It appeared to have a positive impact on him.
It turns out that Malachi was a very good track athlete and an exceptional football player. While at Lincoln East High School, he was rated as the #1 high school recruit coming out of the state of Nebraska. Last year he chose to play both sports at the University of Nebraska. While at Nebraska, he and other athletes were offered NIL opportunities to earn money off their name and likeness. Malachi negotiated a deal to work with a Mexican restaurant called Muchachos. The surprising part happened next. He negotiated that the owner had to donate part of the proceeds to the foster care system to help other abandoned kids find new homes.
Joe’s Perspective: In our academic curriculum and in our athletic program, we feature the positive character trait, service. In the academic curriculum, we provide opportunities for students to give back to the community. Why? You can’t just “study” community service or “learn about” volunteering for a good cause. For years I have said, “You can’t tell a kid what it feels like to do something for somebody else, they have to experience it.” That positive feeling is what changes people. At the end of this interview, Malachi said it better than I did: “Once I realized how good it makes me feel to help other people, it made me realize it’s just something I want to continue in my life.”
Your Turn: Have you ever donated your time or money to help others? Have you ever gone out of your way to help other people? If so, how did it impact you? How did it make you feel? If not, would you consider doing so?
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I’ve done community service before and it made me feel useful and proud that I chose to spend my time bettering the community.
Yes I have gone out of my way to help someone. Before I moved a few years ago from Gladwin. I would always help this kid name Nash he had autism. And every morning before school I would come in and help him with any work he needed help on. Or anything he needed to study. Just to make him feel like he could do it, because he would feel like he couldn’t do something cause in his eyes he wasn’t the same as everyone around him. And I made sure to tell him everyday he was and nothing could change would he was. Turns out he is one of the smartest kids know in his grade. And made me feel so happy that he could get that opportunity and just show people who he really is. And yes of course he still has times where he feel like he isn’t enough. But when he does I make sure he doesn’t impact that on him. And after I started helping Nash my whole life before I moved. It made me feel good that I made such an important impact on his life for him to do good things.
I think that going out of your way to even just do small efforts can make a big impact on your own and others lives.
On student council, we do volunteering a lot, and after i feel so accomplished knowing i got to help a big group of people
I have helped out in the community before with food drives and such. It made me feel a lot better and made me feel like I was doing something for more than just myself. I think it has a positive impact on your character and mood.
I have helped other it made me vary happy but it was also bitter sweet because you find kind reasonable people sometimes in the worst situation.
I love to volunteer and spend my time with others. It makes me feel good and they always get help out of it.
I coached little kids at baseball practice.
I haven’t donated money but I donate my time. I volunteer at a clothing closet through my church. It made me feel good to help someone get something they needed that without the clothing closet they wouldn’t have had.
I have before, I wouldnt like to expose how I did because it wouldn’t be very humble of me. But it made me feel good, it made me feel like if I was put here for a reason.
Yes, I have donated my time to help the elderly. It makes life easier and better, and makes you feel like doing it again and again.
i have donated money to tons of people in need, i notice how hard it is on them and realise how lucky i am and i take what i get and help others in the way i get help. It makes me feel happy to see the light on some peoples face toawrds you when you help them, the connection you can have with all kinds of people.
Yes, I helped at a painting class at the nursing home and they really impacted me some of them were very happy to have someone to talk to and try different stuff with.
I have helped people before. I would help old people clean their house because they couldn’t get around. It made me feel like I wasn’t useless and could actually do something to help other people.
When I worked at super C this customer couldn’t afford part of there food so I payed for it. I treated like a normal thing but It made me feel good to make it where someone could get what they needed. Kindess can go a long way with people.
I have donated money before for a few different things. We went on a mission trip and I was able to help in so many ways. We volunteered at the food bank and that made me feel happy to bless someone and it made me feel useful. It also helped me to help others through many different things.
I’ve donated to church and gave old clothes to the church bin but you don’t really get to see the outcome of that or the people ot may help. I help my great grandma and my brothers with things they need. It makes me happy to be able to help my grandma with the things she’s not the best at doing anymore. I sometimes read to her or help with cooking.
Yes I have volunteered my time and money to help others as well as well as going out of the way. I personally enjoy it. It makes me happy to see others being happy.
Yes, I have gone out of my way to help people out and give them some advice. I take an office ad class for high school and I help with the younger girls playing softball and get them some tips to get better. I love helping the younger girls it makes me look like a better person and I also want them to be better athletes. I hope they learn something from me and also take my advice and try and help other people out.
Yes, I have helped at Food Banks and I have given money to people in need. When I help people it makes me feel good and I know that it makes God happy also.
I have donated money and time to many people. My friend went through a really rough patch in is life and if I didn’t help him I have no clue where he would be in life right now. It Impacted me by making me feel that I had truley turned someones life around for the better.
Yes. Yes. It made me feel good. It made me want to do it again, but I also would like to know exactly what they did with the money.
not money but i like to hold the doors when i can and it makes me fell good knowing i helped someone
I have helped out with our food bank that our church does for our city and we give out food to people that can’t afford to buy food for their families.
I have helped a lot of people in my short years of life mostly my friends but when you help someone it is the best feeling i could ever feel. It doesn’t just help the other person it makes you a much better person
Yes, I’ve been on a couple mission trips. Both times i went to New Orleans. I loved getting to help people, especially the homeless and the children. I also loved getting to share the gospel, and my beliefs. It impacted me a lot, showing me how blessed I am, and how much I have to be grateful for. It made me feel good, because I got to help, but also made me sad for everyone who isn’t as blessed.
Yes I have devoted my time, and sometimes money. I like going out of my way to help strangers out because it makes me feel good.
Yes I have and it makes me feel wonderful everytime I help someone. I love donating money to my church or to others in need. I think that God has blessed me so that I can bless others, and I intend to.
Ive done a lot of stuff like that and its fun
I have donated my time in a few ways. I have been on multiple mission trips and I also coach a little leauge cheer team in my free time.
I have helped my grandma with cleaning her driveway. She had dirt filling the bottom so me and my cousin swept it up. It made me happy.
I’ve been really blessed to able to serve my community and 2 other comunities across the world! Serving others make life worth living. Getting to watch/read Malachi’s story was very inspiring!
My aunt always says to donate money when asked or to charity when you see a donation bin, so I try to. I used to help my brother with his homework until he was done with every subject or at least math. I now try to help people in my class when I finish and they are still in the process of finishing. I love to help people, it does make me feel good. I am also the person who holds open the door for the class or for my family/friends, I try to make them feel welcome and it’s just easier that way; somebody has to go last, and I am happy if that is me.
Yes I have done a lot of community service giving people in need food. It made me feel really happy I loved seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they received the food they very much deserved.
I’ve never donated money to help others. I have gone out of my way to help others. It impacted me by realizing something little goes a long way. It made m feel good for helping someone else.
1. Yes ive gave money to a homeless man before. 2.Yes i have like a few times because i love to help people out ive canceled my plans on a friend to help my mom out. 3.It made me feel helpful and good i did that for my mom. 4. it made me feel good and make me feel more helpful.
this story was very heartfilling and i feel like the start of one positive thing can lead to a positive person