Lincoln East standout Malachi Coleman using NIL to improve foster care system
LINCOLN, Neb. (BVM) 鈥� Malachi Coleman may be one of the first high school football players in Nebraska to land an NIL deal, but he is not looking for fame or fortune. Rather, he is hoping to improve a foster care system he is all too familiar with.
His story begins with homelessness and abandonment, resulting in an up close and personal encounter with the foster system at age 6. Together with his sister, Nevaeh, Malachi was bounced from foster home to foster home until 2015, when he was placed with and eventually adopted by Craig and Miranda Coleman, who would be the first to remind him of his worth.
鈥淲hen the kids first came to us, I sat them down because I could see that neither one of them really believed they had value to others,鈥� Miranda said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楬ow can you bless someone tomorrow?鈥� Malachi probably fought me for an hour. Finally I just looked at him and I鈥檓 like, 鈥楥an you hold one door for one person tomorrow? Just one?鈥� And he looked at me and was like, 鈥榊eah I can do that.鈥� There hasn鈥檛 been a door that kid doesn鈥檛 hold for somebody to this day. He will hold doors for anybody.鈥�
From holding doors to making spectacular plays on the football field and zipping around the track, the Lincoln East junior standout gained a new perspective on both himself and the contributions he could make to the world around him.
鈥淢y confidence has definitely improved a lot,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 look at myself differently. I see myself as wanted. I have an amazing support system. Without my family especially, I would never be who I am today. I just thank them every day for that.鈥�
The process of leaning on others again after having to rely solely on himself was a challenge for Malachi. No matter what his new family did or the opportunities that arose, only he could make the decision to open himself up to those around him.
鈥淗e had to learn to trust us first,鈥� Miranda said. 鈥淗e did the hard work in learning to trust and taking a leap of faith. Without that, we wouldn鈥檛 be where we are today.鈥澛�
With this new foundation of trust and support, Malachi is looking to give back to the foster system to make it better for the next generation of kids looking to find a home. He has already started working towards this dream by partnering with local businesses, donating all his proceeds to various foster care support organizations.聽
One such business is Muchachos, who worked with him to create a new burrito called 鈥淭he Giver.鈥� For every The Giver sold, 15% of the proceeds go to Malachi鈥檚 foundation, which he funnels directly to foster system support.聽
He also has a deal with Triple B Screen Printing, who launched the 鈥淐hi鈥� merch line to benefit his selected beneficiaries.
While Malachi鈥檚 story has a happy ending, unfortunately, that is not often the case in the foster system. This is something he would like to educate more people about.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not as perfect as some people make it seem,鈥� he said. 鈥淓very once in a while, you鈥檒l hear a story of how everything鈥檚 amazing and it worked out perfectly, but those 海角社区 are very slim. A lot of these kids don鈥檛 get chances because the opportunities are not there for them. I want as many kids to have as many opportunities as they can so I鈥檓 making sure I鈥檓 doing everything I can to make sure that happens.鈥�
Malachi will look to sign with a college football program in December 2022. He has many offers on the table and more are sure to come in. No matter where he ends up, he hopes to make connections in the area and continue to work with businesses to increase his contributions to the foster care system.
Miranda encourages those debating joining the foster care system to jump in with both feet.聽
鈥淚t will be the hardest, most rewarding journey you will ever go on,鈥� she said. 鈥淒ealing with kids with trauma, even from a very young age, is a very challenging journey that never really ends. Trauma just pops up at crazy times. Having a really great support system, it definitely takes a village. But do it. Jump in. It will change your world.鈥澛�
