A 4-year-old boy whose father left him, stood outside every single day for months waving at strangers... just hoping somebody would say hi back, in North Carolina.
Then one neighbor walked across the street to meet him.
Now an ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD shows up for his soccer games, his swim lessons, his birthday parties.
Roman Butzlaff is 4 years old, from Concord NC, just outside Charlotte.
His mom says he wakes up every single morning excited to say "hi" to somebody. It's the very first thing he wants to do.
But behind that big smile was a hurting little heart. His parents split about a year ago and his dad moved away.
Then a neighbor named Wade Fulgum did the simplest, most powerful thing in the world.
He just walked across the street... and met the little boy who was always waving at him.
And it spread.
Now about a DOZEN neighbors, people who barely knew each other's names, show up for Roman's soccer games.
His basketball games. His swimming lessons. Even his preschool open house. His birthday party guest list was basically a map of the block.
One neighbor said it best: "If the world was like this child, what an awesome, awesome place it would be."