Exclusive: Boy's letter to Santa, 'I just wanna be safe,' gets heartfelt response from Obama
Malik, who lives in the impoverished, high-crime Englewood neighborhood on the South Side with his mother and two sisters, had only one wish this year when he participated in a local charity’s annual Letters to Santa program.
It wasn’t electronics, nor clothes, nor games.
“All I ask for is for safety. I just wanna be safe,” Malik wrote earlier this month.
Malik was one of about 8,500 Chicago Public Schools students who wrote letters to Santa in the program run by DirectEffect Charities, a 13-year-old Chicago nonprofit.
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“I want to offer you a few words of encouragement,” the president wrote to the boy.
“Each day, I strive to ensure communities like yours are safe places to dream, discover, and grow. Please know your security is a priority for me in everything I do as President. If you dare to be bold and creative, work hard every day, and care for others, I’m confident you can achieve anything you imagine . . . and I will be rooting for you.”
full: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news-chicago/7/71/233231/yes-virginia-er-malik-someone-cares-safety