Maverick Melton wanted one guest at his fourth birthday party: Barack Obama.
The 4-year-old McNabb Elementary Pre-K student got the next best thing. Both Barack and Michelle Obama sent the Spring resident a personal birthday letter and signed golf balls stamped with the presidential seal, Spring ISD's news blog reported Thursday, Aug. 27.
Maverick, then 3, wrote to the former president with help from his family earlier this year. He introduced himself, listed his love of dinosaurs, baseball, dancing and Michael Jackson, and extended a formal invitation to his Aug. 15 party. He also described his self-appointed "job" collecting stray golf balls near a Topgolf close to his grandmother's home and returning them to the front desk. He told Obama he takes his work in the community seriously.
His letter asked Obama to celebrate with him, adding that his family would happily accept a birthday card instead.
The Obamas' response went further. Their letter told Maverick that young people like him embody the hope they hold for the nation's future and encouraged him to keep helping others and dreaming big. The signed golf balls with the presidential seal were a fitting nod to his collecting hobby.
The reveal
Maverick's family staged a presidential-style delivery at his Aug. 15 party. Neighbors dressed as Secret Service agents pulled up in a black SUV to present the gift. His mother, Chassity Crittenden-Melton, posted a video of the moment on Instagram, where it collected more than 19,000 likes and 697 comments.
Maverick's reaction when the package arrived? He looked around the party and asked, "Where's Barack?" He had expected the former president himself to walk through the door.
The video reached more than 22,000 views, according to Spring ISD.
Missouri state Rep. Marty Joe Murray, who represents District 78, also sent Maverick a birthday letter after learning of his story. Murray invited the boy to visit the Missouri House of Representatives chamber and told him to reach out in 10 years about an internship.
A Spring ISD start
Maverick began at McNabb Elementary through Spring ISD's tuition-free Pre-K3 program and has returned this fall as a Pre-K4 student. His mother described his experience at the school as wonderful and said the experience reminded her that even the youngest learners have a voice worth using.
The family's motto, which Maverick included in his letter to Obama: "Believing is good, but doing is better."
Spring ISD's free Pre-K program is open to families living within district boundaries. Children must turn 3 on or before Sept. 1 of the school year to qualify for PK3.
