- April 15, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Ormond Beach resident Matt Coleman wears a crab costume to every Seabreeze High School sports meet he attends.
It's a show of support for the Seabreeze Sandcrabs. He's attended out-of-town high school cross-country and soccer events where people recognize him, saying "there's the guy in the crab costume." Even when one of his daughters got injured, he still showed up to the
games in costume.
"I’m not trying to drag attention to myself," Coleman said. "I’m trying to drag attention to our team, and I’m so proud of what Seabreeze is doing — what our girls are doing. I don’t mind doing something crazy like putting on a costume."
Showing support to students is something Coleman has been familiar with since he first became a teacher 20 years ago. Currently, he teaches fifth grade at Pathways Elementary. Every year, his class is often full of avid readers, he said, and Coleman has accumulated a set of Kindles for them.
Coleman has also coached nine consecutive seasons of youth soccer and is a youth leader at the Lighthouse Christ Presbyterian Church, which he has been part of for about 32 years. He volunteers on Wednesday afternoons to drive a bus to pick up local middle school students and take them back to the church.
And when he's not busy doing all of that, Coleman is helping empower young girls in the community through the local chapter of Girls on the Run, an eight to nine week program for girls ages 8-13 where they learn the importance of life skills, get motivation and how to have a positive image of themselves.
"Matt is deeply devoted to his faith, to his family, to his roles as a teacher and a mentor, to his community, and to his country. And when I say DEEPLY devoted, I mean routinely going 'above and beyond' to help others and do what is right over and over in each of
these areas. Words to describe this man: selfless, caring, full of fun, hardworking, an advocate, a leader, an inspiration, a LEGEND."Heather Post, Volusia County Councilwoman
Coleman, a Girls on the Run board member, has two teenaged daughters, and said this program is important to him because it shows girls how special they are. He said he was raised in a household where women were respected, and that is lost in today's society. He still opens the car door for his wife.
“That’s how women should be treated," Coleman said. "They should be treated better.”
At the end of every program, Girls on the Run holds a 5K. Elected officials come out and present the girls with medals after they finish the race. Coleman is the announcer for the race.
Coleman's love of reaching out goes back a few generations. His grandfather was a missionary in Belize, and he saw how his grandfather wanted to do things to make people happy without expecting anything in return. His father was the same way.
“I don’t want to go home and sit and do nothing," Coleman said. "Probably my one biggest flaw is I say yes too many times. But when they ask for something, sure, I don’t mind helping them out.”
