It’s been a trying time for the 35-year-old Malcolm Coleman and his family. The home he shared with his mother went up in flames last year, and it happened on his birthday no less.
Despite the fact that he has a full time job at Wendy’s, he can’t afford the repairs on his home, and has been couch surfing with his mom ever since. Oh, and he also lost his father at around the same time, too.
Most people might crumble under such conditions. But, this hardworking Wendy’s employee just keeps smiling at all his customers, including the ones that crack that old “where’s the beef” joke.
Let that sink in for a minute. Malcolm not only lost his dad and his house, but he also lost the sense of safety and stability.
And yet he still manages to put on a happy face and smile at all his customers, who are mostly poor, starving, college students.
Malcolm works right across the street from the University of South Carolina’s business school, and he talks to students like Robert Caldaroni every single day.
When Robert heard about Malcolm’s predicament, he immediately jumped into action to help make this man’s life a little bit better.
The first thing Robert did was to take Malcolm’s story to his social media feed!
On his Facebook page, Robert wrote a post explaining how an electrical fire destroyed Malcolm’s home in January of 2019, rendering it mostly uninhabitable.
“The lowest quote our team received to repair the damages done to their small, 875 sq. ft. home is just over $75,000. Despite working full time, due to an insurance lapse, Malcolm cannot afford the repairs.”
Robert and his fellow students at USC banded together to start a GoFundMe so that Malcolm and his mom finally make their family home livable again.
And why would any of the other students care? Because of this!
“If you mention Malcolm’s name to a USC student, you will probably be met with a smile. The extraordinary care he takes of students and his incredible work ethic have made him into somewhat of a local celebrity at USC, and deservedly so.”
Robert continued to praise Malcolm for his kindness and service:
“For years, Malcolm has gone above and beyond to care for students without expecting anything in return; now we have the opportunity to help out a friend in need.”
Alexis Braz, who also helped with the fundraising efforts, mentioned how Malcolm’s house is just plain sad.
“It’s just a charred block of a building. It broke my heart.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to have a conversation with Malcolm without smiling at some point.”
As for Malcom, he’s super grateful for all the kindness that everyone has showed, and recognized their efforts in this public post:
“These past few days has been humbling and affirming that when you lead with your heart, goodness comes back to you. I do not take any of these beautiful acts of kindness lightly or for granted.”
“Working in fast food isn’t easy. Sometimes you feel completely disregarded as a person. …. Thank you all ever so much for loving me for me and for valuing all that I do.”
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