Making Things Right

Anyone can find the dirt in someone.

Be the one who finds the gold.

Michael Todd recently began his freshman year at MLK Prep in Memphis, Tennessee.  It didn’t take long for his classmates to realize that Michael was wearing the same clothes to school each day.  For three long weeks, he tolerated the taunts, ridicule, and laughter from some of the students.  Michael later told a reporter at KTVI, “I really don’t have clothes at home.  My Mom can’t buy clothes for me because I’m growing too fast.”  Fortunately, two football players decided to do something about the situation.  Kristopher Graham, knowing Michel was still enduring the laughter, texted his fellow teammate, Antwan Garrett, for help.  A few days later, Michael was asked to step into the hall, during a class period.  One of the players apologized for being one of the people who laughed at him and said he now wanted to make it right.  The two football players had collected some clothing, as well as a pair of tennis shoes, that they gave to Michael.  At lunch, Michael again thanked Kristopher and Antwan for the gifts.  When he told them that they were the first to ever give him a gift, there were tears to go along with the good feelings of knowing they did the right thing.

Laura Snyder is a 4^th grade teacher at Altamonte Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, Florida.  Two weeks ago, the students were given the opportunity to wear a t-shirt of their favorite college team on College Colors Day.  One of her students told her he wanted to wear a shirt for the University of Tennessee, but he didn’t have one, and there was not enough time to purchase one online.  They came up with the idea that he could wear an orange shirt to represent his college.  That was a bold step for a student deep in Seminole country.  When College Colors Day arrived, Ms. Snyder noticed her student had proudly pinned a piece of paper with a hand drawn “U of T” design to the front of his shirt.  During lunch, some girls, who did not even participate in the college day activity, made fun of the boy’s logo he had created for his shirt.  Upon entering the classroom after lunch, her student put his head on his desk and began to quietly cry.  Later, Laura sent messages to see if anyone had connections to the University of Tennessee because she wanted to purchase a shirt for the boy.

In the meantime, the picture of the logo designed by the elementary student was posted.  The University of Tennessee gave permission for the shirt to be printed as an official design for a school shirt.  Ms. Snyder responded, “When I told [my student] that his design was being made into a real shirt and people wanted to wear it, his jaw dropped.  He had a big smile on his face, walked taller, and I could tell his confidence grew today!  Thank you to the UT Nation for that!”  There were so many orders for the shirt that it crashed the Tennessee’s online store website.  Recently, band members wore the shirts at a football game.  In addition, the school has made the decision to donate a portion of the proceeds from the shirts to the national non-profit organization STOMP Out Bullying.

Some Vols fans notified Laura Snyder that they would like to send gifts to her student as well as his classmates.  The young boy was sent a jersey, t-shirts, a sports bag, several hats, along with other memorabilia.  Upon opening the boxes, Ms. Snyder also found items for her other students.  Her UT fan proudly passed out water bottles, bracelets, cooling towels, and pens to the other students.  “While the kids were filling their water bottles and waiting to water down their towels, it made this teacher so proud to see the kids congratulating my student.  High fives, hugs, pats on the back could be seen from the kids.  This experience is uniting my class even more than I could have imagined...  THANK YOU so much to all who have made this such a positive experience for my student, and also showing the rest of my class what it’s like to come together and be kind.”  Snyder continues, “Personally, I’m looking forward to wearing the shirt he designed.  It’ll be the one and only piece of orange clothing that this Seminoles fan will ever wear!”

And the most recent gift, to the young fan, is a four year scholarship to the University of Tennessee upon high school graduation!

Sometimes it is too easy to find and focus on the dirt in people or situations.  Oh to be the people who are willing to invest in, build up, and take the time to dig for and find the gold in people and situations.

Whoever seeks good finds favor,

     but evil comes to one who searches for it.

Proverbs 11:27

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29