Melania Gifts Special Christmas Drawing to Girl, Parents Left 'Stunned and Amazed'
Like many other first ladies before her, and as she herself did last year, Melania Trump attended the “Toys for Tots” charitable toy drive hosted by the United States Marine Corps Reserve every year that collects donated toys to be distributed among needy children across the country in time for Christmas.
On Tuesday, Trump traveled to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for a “Toys for Tots” event in a massive hangar involving the children of enlisted service members stationed at the base. Following a brief speech about the charitable toy drive, the first lady got down to the “business” at hand — helping the children sort through donated toys and write Christmas cards to be included in the boxes for needy children.
Enjoyed spending time with children & the @USMC at their annual @ToysForTots_USA drive. Thank you to everyone who came out to help in this wonderful opportunity to give back! #MerryChristmas pic.twitter.com/bYEnLS2tOx
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 11, 2018
Trump tweeted out pictures of the event on Tuesday and wrote, “Enjoyed spending time with children & the @USMC at their annual @ToysForTots_USA drive. Thank you to everyone who came out to help in this wonderful opportunity to give back! #MerryChristmas”
While the first lady quite obviously spent time interacting with numerous children at the event, The Daily Caller reported that there was one little girl in particular — 7-year-old Jackie Rodriguez — who seemed a bit confused by all of the commotion and was subsequently taken under the first lady’s wing for a time to guide and assist her through the process.
The first lady knelt down and spoke with the young girl, then helped her as they sorted through the donated toys together. Trump then accompanied Rodriguez to another table and joined her in writing and coloring Christmas cards for the eventual recipients of the gift boxes.
The first lady reportedly spent more than 20 minutes helping little Jackie color in her card, providing advice and assistance when necessary, even as she worked on coloring in a card of her own.
After the event had finished, the reporter for The Daily Caller spoke with Jackie’s parents — Navy Captain Jose Rodriguez and Nancy Rodriguez — who said that their daughter had been thrilled by the attention she had received from the first lady, which was a “dream come true for little Jackie.”
Fighting back tears, the emotional mother explained, “She has been waiting for this day. She has been talking non-stop about meeting Mrs. Trump. This is her Christmas dream come true.”
The proud father said the “unexpected attention” that Trump had devoted to his daughter had left him “stunned and amazed.”
Little Jackie was crying as well after the event had ended. Her mother said, “She’s crying because Mrs. Trump is gone.”
The girl was clutching a drawing close to her chest, and after her mother asked her to show it to the reporter, it was revealed to be the drawing that the first lady had been working on while helping Jackie with her own drawing, which she had gifted to the little girl prior to her departure.
The reporter asked the little girl if there was anything else that she wanted for Christmas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jackie said she wanted to go to the White House to spend some time with the first lady again. The reporter directed her to address her request to a nearby man dressed as Santa Claus, who “just might know someone” that could arrange such a meeting in the future.
Aside from the time spent with all of the children — as well as little Jackie — The Daily Caller reported that the Office of the First Lady announced Trump had also donated 100 children’s books to the toy drive to help fight illiteracy and gifted “Be Best”-branded tote bags with coloring books and candy for the children who helped get everything together for the “Toys for Tots” gift boxes.
It has been made abundantly clear over the past two years that Melania Trump simply adores young children and truly treasures the moments when she can spend time with them, whether that be visiting with children in hospitals and schools or inviting them to the White House for special events.
The fact that the first lady took it upon herself to personally tend to the one little girl — in the process fulfilling that girl’s “Christmas dream” — is a testament to how much she cherishes children. Hopefully, little Jackie’s wish to meet with the first lady again — this time in the White House — will also come true in the near future.
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