Two high school football players in Memphis gave their clothes and shoes to a student who was always singled out for wearing the same clothes every day.
Antwan Garrett and Kristopher Graham, students and football players at Martin Luther King College Preparatory School saw how other students made fun of a freshman student since the school year started. Michael Todd, the affected student, was forced to wear the same clothes every day because his parents couldn’t afford to buy him new ones.
Garrett and Graham didn’t like how other students treated Todd so they stepped in and did something nice for him.
“When I saw people laugh and bully him, I felt like I needed to do something,” Graham said. “He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I think this is going to make him smile.”
The two football players raided their closets to find some clothes and shoes that they can give to Todd. The next day, they showed up in school with bags filled with their clothes and shoes. Garret also gave out a pair of brand-new shoes.
Graham felt really bad about Todd’s situation because he used to laugh at him, too. When he handed out the clothes and shoes to Todd, he told him: “I apologize for laughing at you, and I want to give something to you to make it up.”
Todd was surprised by the gesture of the two students but also very grateful for it. “I’ve been bullied my entire life,” Todd said. “I really don’t have clothes at home. My mom can’t buy clothes for me because I’m growing too fast.”
Like Todd, Graham and Garrett were also very emotional, especially when Todd said that it’s his first time to receive gifts from other people and this was basically the best day of his life. “It was a weak moment for me. I was going to cry,” Garrett said.
This wonderful moment was captured in a video and was uploaded on social media by Garrett and Graham. The clip quickly went viral and there was a downpour of comments on Reddit and Facebook.
One user named Nephtyz wrote, “Kid is down and in a very vulnerable state. Hard to feel happy when you’re in that place, it can take a while to feel whole again. Hopefully, that gift will give him back the confidence he needs.”
Another commenter with the username NomadicDevMason stated, “I have worked with middle and high school kids the last ten years. The new generation is so much kinder and accepting than when I was in school. Kids are still kids but I think people are getting better.”
Erica Williams, spokeswoman for Frayser Community Schools said that Todd is not the only student who needs more clothing so they set up a clothing closet in the school to provide additional clothing assistance to students.
She stated, “Antwain, Micheal and Kristopher are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our community and people from across the country. Unfortunately, situations that show students in need are not unique within our school because we serve a demographic where the household income is well below the state and national average.”
Though bullying can’t be stopped altogether, it is still nice to know that there are kind-hearted people who will stand up for the victims and do something nice for them. Watch the heartwarming video below to see our heroes in action: