11-year-old Rebecca Kelley wrote to the president when she realized that he had not yet visited her home state in South Dakota, expressing her sadness and inviting him to visit.
“I was very sad because I love South Dakota and I think it’s so beautiful and I was really sad that he couldn’t come so I decided to express my feelings into a letter,” Rebecca said.
So, on Friday, President Obama visited South Dakota, and as he was boarding Air Force One to go back home, he got to meet young Rebecca. She was waiting for him on the tarmac with a sign that said “Thanks for coming,” and the president paused to give her a hug, a medal, and some chocolate.
“I never thought in a million years that I would ever meet the President ever,” Rebecca said, who believes President Obama is one of the best presidents in history. “I want to say thank you so much there are no words to describe my joy. There’s just none.”
In the letter that spawned the trip, Kelley asked the president: “I wanted to know why you haven’t visited South Dakota?”
She went on to explain why he should schedule a visit: “We are the warmest of the Dakotas, we have Mt. Rushmoore [sic], and when I just go to the park, I sometimes see coyotes, hawks, and bald eagles.”
She finished off her letter with a drawing of a broken heart, but we’re hoping her heart has mended now that she’s had the chance to meet the president in person!
