High school football star who was once a 'broken kid' is now supporting children in foster care

Malachi Coleman is a Nebraska sports phenomenon who had a very traumatic childhood. But when he announced he'd be playing for the Nebraska Huskers next season, the young football player knew exactly what he wanted to do. He provides for the foster care system using his name, image and likeness. Coleman's mother left him and his younger sister, Nevaeh, on the side of the road twelve years ago, never to be seen again. He was abused after being placed in foster care. As reported by CBS News, a loving family finally adopted him and his sister, but the trauma he had previously endured was too severe. "He was a broken kid," said his dad, Craig Coleman.

He became part of the system after his father’s death and his mother’s substance misuse. At 9 years old, Coleman told his adoptive dad that he wanted to play football in the NFL. With his dreams coming true as a Nebraska state medalist in the triple jump, Coleman wanted to give back to the community. He started this journey with a burrito from Muchachos, a Mexican BBQ fusion restaurant called The Pipeline. But a portion of the proceeds went to one cause—the foster care system. He can't reveal how much money was raised, but the Muchachos organization calls it "a good chunk of change." Every cent goes directly towards providing extracurricular activities for foster children, per The Black Wall Street Times.

His adoptive mother, Miranda, says, "He’s seen how athletics changed his life." He’s going to ensure kids in the foster care system have that opportunity he didn’t have, so money is not a stopper for a kid in a dark time. When he was younger, Coleman was a "mean and selfish jerk who refused to do anything kind for anybody." His transformation to become a kind human being happened after an argument in which his mom insisted he does something selfless. "He lived for today and only today and nothing mattered," added his mom, Miranda Coleman. 

"I threw out at least 100 ideas of things he could do," Miranda Coleman said. "And exasperated, I finally said, 'What about holding a door? Can you hold one door for one person?' And finally, he was like, 'I can hold a door.'"  He held a door open for someone the next day at school. He then held the church door open for the whole congregation. This resulted in a string of charitable actions in which Coleman took part. He now describes kindness as his passion, which began when he held a door open for someone. "Once I realized how good it makes me feel to help other people, it's just something that I knew I wanted to continue in my life," Coleman said. He hopes to open many more doors in life, including one that would provide a forever home for foster children. 

According to research, children in the foster care system have serious mental health concerns that are not treated with proper care. In addition, young people with mental health disorders stay in the system longer, have frequent replacements, engage in criminal activity and receive poor education. The Department of Health and Human Services states that  90% of children in foster care are abused, which is made worse by displacement from their families. The suppressed traumas and stress can impact physical, cognitive, social and emotional functioning, which leads to addiction, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. If you want to support Malachi Coleman's non-profit organization, go to https://flylikechi.com/