How one friendly boy turned neighbors into a village in North Carolina

The 4-year-old greets passersby with a wave and a “hey” in Concord, North Carolina. That small ritual has grown into a circle of about a dozen neighbors who would have barely known each other otherwise.

About a year ago, Roman’s parents broke up, his father moved to Florida and his grandparents lived out of state, leaving him with fewer close family connections nearby. He was still eager to connect, even as he faced more loneliness at home. The turning point came when Wade Fulgum, who lives across the street, approached the child who was always waving. The two began spending time together, and other neighbors gradually joined in.

What started as sidewalk hellos soon turned into real routines. Neighbors began stopping to chat and even joined Roman in drag racing down the street. Anna Butzlaff barely knew many of them at first, but she went along because Roman was happy. Over time, Roman started inviting them to soccer games, basketball games and baseball games, along with swimming lessons and even his preschool open house. When his birthday party came around, the only people Anna needed to invite were his senior citizen neighbor friends.

One neighbor said, “He loves having us there, and he’ll run up and hug us,” while Anna described the neighbors as “really special people” to Roman. The refrigerator at home is now covered with photos of the people Roman holds dear, and Anna believes his inner loneliness is gone. Another neighbor said, “Look at what this little kid has built,” while another said, “If the world was like this child, what an awesome, awesome place it would be.”