Malachi H.

"The Club provided me with a second home, life-long friendships and positive role models, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and opportunities to grow as a leader."

A 12-year member, Malachi credits the Club with helping him through rough patches and literally saving his life. He saw peers who stopped attending the Club go in the wrong direction, and is grateful for the positive alternatives the Club offered to spend time productively and staff who taught him to believe in himself.

When he noticed young African-American males in his community consistently read two or three levels below their grade levels, Malachi created a Club program called “Double Trouble.” Each week, he and a friend identified five children to tutor. To secure participation, they promised the kids one hour of physical activity for each hour they dedicated to reading and studying. Every one of them improved their literacy level. Malachi was also a peer leader for the Play60 program, which inspires participants to engage in physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day, five days a week.

Malachi is a freshman at Colorado State University where he is pursuing a career in kinesiology.