Malik Allen Motivates Children At The Homestead Family YMCA

Taking part in a Q. & A. session focusing on how he made it to the NBA and the experience of being part of the HEAT squad, Malik stuck around to help demonstrate some hoops skills and show off some moves of his own. From dribbling to fancy footwork, the boys and girls were thrilled to have him participating alongside them.

Malik’s involvement was a component of MTV/the Center for Disease Control’s VERB campaign to present ‘MADE Activity Days,’ which, along with YMCAs, travels throughout the country to motivate, inspire and encourage America’s youth. Miami was the tour’s fourth stop, with several others planned throughout the next several weeks in various states.

The CDC is encouraging kids to get physically active and explore new interests, and the VERB campaign is designed to fuel the exploration, discovery and navigation of dreams by participating in regular physical activity.

MTV’s hit show “MADE” features stories of young adults overcoming the obstacles and fears in their lives to achieve their ultimate goals. A recent episode involved a Cleveland teen who wanted to make his high school basketball team so badly, MTV provided him with his own personal basketball coach and featured the two on an episode of “MADE.” At the Homestead event, the boy, Michael Whitehouse, joined coach Shane Kline-Ruminsky and Malik to inspire the kids to see how hard work pays off.

As Malik teamed up with MTV and the CDC to talk about his own experiences on and off the court, the kids of all ages had a great time and left with an indelible message to hang on to as they grow up and face obstacles that may come their way.