A wave and a quick “hey” turned into something much bigger for 4-year-old Roman Butzlaff in Concord, North Carolina.
Roman, described by his mother as a child who wakes up each day eager to greet someone, had been carrying what she said was an inner loneliness after his parents broke up about a year ago. His father moved to Florida, and his grandparents also lived out of state.
“He wakes up every day excited to say ‘hi’ to somebody, like, that’s the first thing he wants to do,” his mother, Anna Butzlaff, told CBS News.
Things began to shift when Wade Fulgum, who lives across the street, came over to meet the boy who was always waving. The two started doing things together, and other neighbors soon joined in. They stopped to chat and took part in activities with Roman, including drag racing down the street.
Anna Butzlaff said the attention from neighbors felt unusual at first because she barely knew them.
“I didn’t really know how to take it,” she said. “I just saw that my son was happy.”
Roman then started inviting neighbors to his soccer games, basketball games and baseball games. Others showed up to his swimming lessons and preschool open house. When his birthday party came around, his mother said the guest list was obvious.
“He loves having us there, and he’ll run up and hug us,” one neighbor said.
“They’ve made such an impact on him,” Anna Butzlaff said. “They are really special people to him.”
His mother said Roman’s inner loneliness is now gone. She also said his friendliness has brought together about a dozen neighbors who likely would have barely known one another without him.
“Look at what this little kid has built,” one neighbor said.
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