A hamster would make her "do better in school"

An eight-year-old girl named Serenity recently wrote a letter to Petco, asking if they could give her a hamster. She said she was in second grade, and never had a pet. In her letter, she promised that if she had a hamster, she would "do better in school, make more friends, and become responsible."  Her school teacher helped her look up the address of the nearest Petco, and they mailed her letter. But the teacher had looked up the wrong address!

Instead of going to Petco, her letter went to the customer service department at PEPCO, which stands for Potomac Electric Power Company. From there it should have gone into the circular file, or been returned to her. But a PEPCO employee named Cornell Reddon had another idea. He and a co-worker decided to help Serenity. They contacted Petco and described her letter. Then Petco gave Serenity the hamster she wanted, along with a free cage. Serenity's mom says she's been studying how to care for hamsters for two years, and is thrilled.