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This is part of our Community Cultivator series, which highlights how innovators across all sectors build and sustain global communities from the ground up.

鈥淪ome of this stuff doesn’t even make sense,鈥� marvels Malcolm Mitchell, children鈥檚 author and executive director of the . 鈥淚’m actually sometimes taken aback by it, because I don’t really know how it all transpired. Talking through it kind of helps.鈥�

The 鈥渟tuff鈥� Mitchell鈥檚 referring to encompasses a journey from illiteracy to authorship, from poverty to stability and from fame on the sports field to nonprofit leadership.

Mitchell played just one season as wide receiver with the New England Patriots, but what a season it was, culminating in a Super Bowl victory in February 2017. After the game, in which he caught five passes in the fourth quarter, , 鈥淓verybody had confidence to have Malcolm in those spots if he got it. He proved everybody right because he came up with the plays.鈥�

A knee injury ended Mitchell鈥檚 football career, but unlike many athletes who get lost without a ball in their hands, he threw himself into a cause close to his heart. He had struggled to read as a child and profoundly understood how severely limited life鈥檚 options can be if you can鈥檛 read. As a student-athlete at University of Georgia he had started Read with Malcolm LLC in order to publish his own children鈥檚 books, and soon after retirement he built upon this platform with a new nonprofit, the Share the Magic Foundation. The Atlanta-based organization promotes reading and diverse representation, partnering with Raising A Reader and other nonprofits and corporate sponsors to promote literacy and to get books into the hands of children who need them.

Mitchell offers these five tips for teachers, parents and advocates who want to make a difference.

1. Start Them Young

What keeps Mitchell up at night? 鈥淭he idea that 补苍测辞苍别鈥檚 potential is capped based on a start they never asked for.鈥� The start matters. Mitchell鈥檚 life story reinforces this philosophy with poignancy and punch. His single mother worked at a call center for several years before going back to school for her master鈥檚 degree. They moved frequently, as more affordable duplexes became available in assorted small cities in northern Florida. Violence was a near-constant background presence, along with other hazards of growing up poor. 鈥淲e were so proud my sister graduated from high school without a child,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat was a glorious achievement, though we didn鈥檛 celebrate it out loud.鈥�

As a writer twice named Children鈥檚 Author of the Year by the Georgia Writers Association and as a father of a 1 1/2-year-old son, Mitchell recognizes the importance of building an early relationship with books. Similarly, he鈥檚 glad his son is growing up around guitars, even if he鈥檚 not playing them. 鈥淛ust introducing things at an early age is my biggest focus,鈥� says Mitchell. 鈥淲e’ll worry about the details later.鈥�

2. Find Someone Who Believes in You

For Mitchell, those people include his mother, his grandmother and his high school football coach. 鈥淲hen I was in fourth grade,鈥� he recalls, 鈥渕y mom taught me Psalm 23, 鈥�Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil for God is with me.鈥� And then she looked at me said, 鈥榊ou鈥檒l do great things in life. I believe in you.鈥欌��

He describes his grandmother, who raised seven children, as 鈥渋mpeccable, hard-nosed and tough. She was sweet to her grandkids, but she applied a tremendous amount of pressure on her kids. I think that old saying, 鈥楶ressure either busts pipes or makes diamonds,鈥� is true.鈥�

Mitchell credits Valdosta Wildcats coach Rance Gillespie for sitting him down and talking to him about how best to take advantage of the opportunities that colleges were offering him. 鈥淣ot only was he a great coach who made me a better football player,鈥� Mitchell explains. 鈥淗e was a mentor for all of us. He was the guidance counselor and the administrative assistant. For a lot of us who grew up in that community, we didn’t have fathers either, so he was instilling some intangibles that we could use off the field. Responsibility, accountability, hard work, determination, relentlessness, the will to never quit.鈥�

3. Share the Magic

The name of Mitchell鈥檚 nonprofit is also its credo. Again, his mother鈥檚 example drives him: 鈥淚鈥檝e watched my mom her entire life, even through her financial challenges, sacrifice herself for the well-being of others.鈥� He views it as his duty to ensure others have what they need to get ahead鈥攅specially kids who, like he did, are growing up with single moms. 鈥淗ow can I willingly and knowingly letting someone else suffer when they don’t have to?鈥� he asks.

His answer lies in writing children鈥檚 books that inspire generosity and good deeds, running the organization and joining forces with others in the service. He takes inspiration from another football great, Warrick Dunn, whose campaign provides down payment assistance, furnishings and more to single-parent families. Though they鈥檝e never met, Mitchell says, 鈥淭he idea that there’s someone out there that’s supporting women like my mother is extraordinary.鈥�

4. Be Present

If you want to help your community, Mitchell advises, you can鈥檛 phone it in. You have to be there in person. Attendance counts, whether you鈥檝e got a Super Bowl ring on your finger or you鈥檙e just an ordinary human being with something to offer. Showing up will help you to find your voice and to determine where it fits and how it can be deployed for the greatest impact. 鈥淧eople forget the most important rule of leadership,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou have to lead people who want to be led.鈥�

5. Know Your Stuff

Mitchell believes in learning all about a subject before speaking about it鈥攁nd then sticking to your areas of expertise. 鈥淚 know books and literacy rates,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t’s rare to hear me talk about anything else.鈥� (When I try to lure him to opine on social media contributing to the spread of uninformed opinions about things like vaccination or climate change, he responds deftly, as if eluding a cornerback: 鈥淭hat’s something I can’t talk much about, because I don’t know.鈥�)

As someone who has experienced poverty and who has researched the subject, Mitchell stands on solid ground when he describes the vicious circle of poverty and illiteracy. When he was young, he says, 鈥淎cademic achievement wasn’t the highest priority. The highest priority was survival. So why wasn’t I reader or why aren’t many young African American boys reading? Because it hasn’t been introduced in a way that forces it to be a priority over daily survival.鈥�

The five tips here might be further boiled down to the lesson of Mitchell鈥檚 2020 book My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World: 鈥淪ometimes the best stories can be found inside ourselves.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 麻豆精品. Learn more here.