Young arson survivor who asked for Christmas cards receives more than 1 million
Safyre Terry asked for Christmas cards, and the world listened.
In 2013, Safyre, 8, was badly burned in an arson fire that killed her father and three younger siblings. Now living with her aunt, Liz Dolder, in upstate New York, Safyre said that all she wanted for Christmas this year was to fill up the family's card holder. After Safyre's request was posted online, word spread quickly, and the cards and packages started flooding into her local post office.
Since early December, Safyre has received more than 1 million cards from across the globe, including a personalized message from the White House, as well as thousands of gifts. More than two dozen volunteers have been opening the cards and packages with the family, but "even with all the volunteers, we haven't even brushed the surface," Dolder told The Associated Press. Safyre appreciated every present she received, but decided to share the goodwill by distributing many of the gifts to homeless and domestic violence shelters, as well as Boston's Shriners Hospital. "We want other children to feel the joy that Safyre feels," Dolder said.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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