Philip Mroz received a letter from the White House Friday at city hall.
Mayor Keith Hobbs in March learned the 11-year-old autistic boy loved U.S. President Barack Obama. The mayor met Philip during an event in which Canadian Tire made the youngster an official ambassador for the day.
Just like the U.S. President, Philip is also a big fan of the Canadian retailer. "When we were at Canadian Tire a few months ago and I found Philip was a big Barack Obama fan, I pulled some strings and got an autographed picture from the president for him," said Hobbs, who presented Philip with the sealed envelope from the White House Friday morning at city hall.
Through his work with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Hobbs met the mayor of Grand Rapids, Mich. who serves on Obama's climate change adaptation committee and meets with the president from time to time. "He's such a great kid ... Every time I see him he's got a smile on his face," Hobbs said. "That's what this city is all about. It's a great city and he's a prime example of a great citizen. He talked about being mayor one day. That's the type of city we're trying to build - all inclusive so that no one's left behind."
Philip was decked out in an Obama T-shirt Friday when he opened the envelope and discovered the photo with a personalized message that read: "To Philip Mroz. Best Wishes, Barack Obama." "I like Barack Obama and I actually have a picture in my bedroom and I just like him," Philip said upon receiving the photograph. "I haven't seen him before, but I saw a picture of him so he's kind of nice," he said when asked why he liked the president.
And since Hobbs and Philip are both Boston Bruins fans, the mayor also presented Philip with a Bruins dreamcatcher he's had on his office wall.
An avid Bruins fan, Hobbs said it wasn't too difficult to part with the dreamcatcher. "I know it's going to a good Boston Bruins fan," he said.
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