When a high schooler was being bulled for wearing the same clothes to school each day, two of his kind classmates gave him their own nice clothes and a brand new pair of shoes.
Michael Todd started his freshman year at high school in Memphis, Tennessee, and after some of the students noticed that he wore the same clothes to school for several weeks, he began to be teased and bullied. Two of the popular students, football players Kristopher Graham and Antwan Garrett, were also Michael’s classmates, and at first while they laughed along with some of the other students who teased Michael, they afterwards felt compassion for him and thought that the bullying had gone too far and that he needed to be helped.
“When I saw people laugh at him and bully him, I felt like I needed to do something,” Kristopher said.
He later texted his friend Antwan and asked him to see if together they could do something to help Michael. Together they went through their own clothes and chose several nice outfits, and a new pair of New Balance shoes to bring to school for Michael. They brought the clothes and shoes to school the next day, and came to Michael during 3rd period.
“I want to apologize to you for laughing at you and I want to give you something to make it up,” Kristopher told Michael as he handed him bags full of shirts and shorts.
Michael was worried at first about why they wanted to talk to him, but he later shared that it was “the best day of my entire life.”
“I’ve been bullied my entire life,” Michael shared. “But getting the gift was awesome. The best day of my entire life basically.”
Antwan has seen his fair share of struggle in life, and he didn’t want Michael to feel the same way.
“My life has changed from sleeping in a house without no lights. What [was] going on the outside… affected me in school,” Antwan shared. “I didn’t want to be in school. I know how it feels not to have nothin’. Not even years ago, but a couple of months ago I didn’t have it either. Being in a hotel for six months just because you didn’t have a house is tough… I used to go school with busted up shoes and stuff. I don’t have much, but it made me feel better by seeing somebody else have. I haven’t had like… the best of life. Everybody struggles.”
“I wanted to help Michael, and make him happy, and it made me happy.”
Michael later joined Kristopher and Antwan at lunch, and Michael shared how grateful he was to the two of them.
“I almost cried when he told me at lunch, “You know you’re the only two that actually ever gave me a gift,” Kristopher said.
Ellen DeGeneres heard of the kindness of these two young men and invited all three of them on her show, where she presented them each with a check for $10,000.
“You guys are the best guys of my entire life,” Michael told them.
Watch this heartwarming video of Antwan and Kristopher giving Michael his new clothes:
You are Loved.
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