BALLWIN, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com)—
Coffee shop owner Sam Malek's goal is to pay if forward. But the gloomy weather this week has created added challenges for the man with disabilities who is trying to raise money for charity. The rain has slowed business at More Than Coffee, where the owner is trying to give away his profits after so much has been done for him. Malek says, "It's not just about buying a cup of coffee and driving through."But to know why a fundraiser on one of the rainiest weeks of the year means so much to Sam, you have to look back. Malek was born with cerebral palsy and abandoned. His life was saved by Shriners' Hospitals, "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be standing here."
How much do they mean to him? "You don't have enough time for that. They've done miracles for me. I've had over 20 plus operations. I spent 60 to 80% of my childhood in the hospital."
He grew up to run his own coffee shop. It was a small place where wheelchairs couldn't get in. But then Extreme Makeover came calling and built him a new shop. He knew on that day last year he had to do something, "I wanted to pay it forward because I knew how much St. Louis put into building this," says Malek.
So on Friday, a guy in a tiger suit was flagging down traffic and Shriners were grilling in the parking lot. Sam was inside raising every dime he could to give to the Shriners' cause: paying for the care of sick kids.
Shriner Captain Ron Reynolds says, "To have a former patient, an adult, coming to us and saying that, let me help, let me do this for you. Yeah you're right, the gratification is great."
A lesser man might feel cursed facing Sam's challenges, but he's simply counting his blessings. "So you understand that this project for me it took me many years to be able to pay them back and I'm not even scratching the surface for what they've done for me," says Malek.
More than Coffee is staying open until 9:00 p.m. Friday, with food, face painting, raffles and more as they try to meet Sam's $10,000 goal for the week. The store is located on Manchester, just east of 141 in Ballwin.
