One kid got a pretty cool birthday gift from his neighborhood. Soren is an autistic 11-year-old boy who loves Halloween, specifically trick-or-treating. This gave his mom, Leah Farrow, an idea for the perfect birthday surprise, and her neighbors made it happen.
Birthdays are a big deal for most kids. Some children enjoy birthday parties at places like trampoline parks or skating rinks, while others want cupcakes sent to school. Because birthdays can feel like such a big deal, many parents try to make the day feel extra special. Farrow is no different. The mom knew her kiddo loved going trick-or-treating, but with Soren’s birthday being in the middle of the summer, that wasn’t going to happen.
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Neighborhood houses don’t typically have bags of candy stored year-round awaiting ghouls looking for sweet treats. But Halloween is so far away when your birthday falls in the summer, and school hasn’t started back yet. Farrow put on her thinking cap, and before long she was on her way to making Soren’s birthday wish come true.
The mom opened Facebook and put out a Bat Signal. It was a long shot, but she asked in her local neighborhood group if anyone would allow Soren to trick-or-treat at their homes for his birthday. Much to her surprise, more than 80 neighbors emphatically agreed to host trick-or-treating for the birthday boy.
Social media for the win
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“POV: Your son is autistic and loves trick-or-treating, so you ask in your neighborhood Facebook group if anyone would be willing to let him trick-or-treat at their house for his birthday, and 83 of your neighbors enthusiastically volunteer,” Farrow writes on the video shared to TikTok.
Soren dressed as a banana complete with a pair of shorts, Crocs, and a teal jack-o-lantern Halloween bucket. Neighbors happily greeted their lone trick-or-treater with candy, snacks, juice, and other things they had on hand. Little ones even helped their parents pass out goodies to Soren. Neighbors put personalized birthday signs in their yards.
By the time they made their way back home, the birthday boy was loaded down with all sorts of things. Neighbors gifted Soren chips, Cheetos, Play-Doh, books, and stuffed animals on top of all of the sweet treats. The newly minted 11-year-old looks absolutely thrilled with his Halloween in July haul.
A lesson in community
Surely this is a birthday surprise he won’t forget and a lesson in how communities can come together. Viewers were also impressed with the neighbors’ generosity, with one saying, “Your neighborhood entered HIS world instead of making him fit into theirs. My heart is full watching this. God Bless!”
Someone else writes, “I learned 3 things! 1. You have an incredible community! 2. If he decides to elope the community knows him. 3. I need to step up my wreath game.”
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One person chimes in, “Some had costumes, and even gave full birthday presents. I’m not crying. You are!!”
Another says, “This is one of the most profound examples of selfless community support I’ve ever seen. This was incredible. So many people celebrated him!!”
“So you cried more than 83 times in one day huh, I hope you & him remember in a world that can seem & be so cruel at times that at least once in both of yalls lifetime you truly knew how it felt to be loved,” another commenter concludes.
