A Chicago teenager who penned a heartfelt letter to Santa pleading, "I just wanna be safe" and drew a personal response from U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to be on the House floor Tuesday night to hear the president's much anticipated State of the Union address.

Englewood resident Malik Bryant is slated to be a personal guest of first lady and fellow Chicago native Michelle Obama. The Chicago Sun-Times reported, in recent years, the first lady has made a regular practice of hosting individuals she deems newsworthy at the annual event, including last year when she opened her box to roughly two dozen citizens.

The 13-year-old Bryant captured the hearts and attention of the nation late last month when he added in his Christmas wish-list letter, "All I ask for is safety."

Chicago in general and Bryant's Englewood neighborhood in particular have been plagued by gang and gun violence recently, including Fourth of July weekend 2014 when several media outlets reported at least 82 people were shot and 14 killed over a 72-hour period.

In a letter dated Dec. 22, the president responded to Malik.

"Each day, I strive to ensure communities like yours are safe places to dream, discover and grow. I will be rooting for you," he wrote.

Bryant wrote his letter as part of a DirectEffect Charities initiative, and from the moment CEO Michelle DiGiacomo read it, she seemed to feel an even greater sense of urgency to perform the kind of life-changing social work the organization has prided itself on since opening its doors nearly 15 years ago.

"When I pulled this one letter ... I couldn't stop reading it," she said. "All this kid was asking for was safety. I was floored."

The Fulton Elementary School student is scheduled to leave for D.C. sometime on Monday.

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