Most kids have to wait until October to go trick-or-treating. But for one Huntsville 11-year-old who loves Halloween, his neighbors were more than willing to make an exception.
Soren Griffin is autistic and loves to trick-or-treat. In fact, his mother, Leah Farrow, said he enjoys it so much that he often puts on a costume, grabs a bucket and pretends to trick-or-treat around their home.
And one of his favorite parts is ringing the doorbell.
So, with Soren’s 11th birthday approaching, Farrow turned to their neighborhood Facebook group with an unusual request.
“I was wondering if anyone would be open to letting him trick-or-treat at their house on his birthday, July 10th?” she wrote.
She even offered to provide the candy ahead of time.
Farrow was hoping a few neighbors might agree. Instead, 83 volunteered to join in on the fun.
And they didn’t want her candy.
According to Farrow, neighbors began asking what kinds of candy Soren liked — and what toys he liked, too.
CBS News, which recently featured Soren’s story, reported that Farrow had initially hoped for only three or four responses. Instead, the response came from people she didn’t even know.
“These aren’t my friends,” Farrow told CBS. “I mean, now they are.”
When Soren’s birthday arrived, his family decorated the golf cart they had given him as a birthday present. Farrow said he loves riding in golf carts, so it was the perfect transportation for making his rounds.
They headed out at 5:30 p.m.
Over the next four hours, Soren made it to 70 of the 83 participating homes before the family finally returned home at 9:30.
Soren wasn’t ready to quit. Farrow said he wanted to keep going, but the golf cart didn’t have headlights.
His neighbors didn’t just open their doors and hand him candy.
They put up birthday signs, wrote cards and had gifts waiting. Those who couldn’t be home to greet Soren personally left presents on their porches.
Soren, dressed as a banana for the occasion, also collected quite a haul. Farrow told CBS he received Doritos, Goldfish, Play-Doh and Lego sets.
What happened in the Huntsville community soon caught the attention of people well beyond North Alabama.
Farrow shared video from Soren’s birthday online, and CNN reported the video received nearly 14 million views. The story also opened conversations with other parents of children with autism.
For Farrow, some of the most meaningful responses came from parents of children with disabilities.
“The big ones that really like touch me are other parents with kids with disabilities and how like it kind of restores their faith that their child is going to be OK,” she told CNN.
Some parents even told Farrow their children wanted to trick-or-treat with Soren next year.
But for Farrow, the story is also about what happened right at home.
“With all of us being bombarded with bad news constantly, it’s easy to think that community is gone,” she wrote in a follow-up post. “I wanted to share this story to show that it’s not.”
For one night in July, 83 Huntsville neighbors helped prove her point.
“I truly believe that most people are good and kind and I hope that one day I’ll have the opportunity to return the kindness my community has shown us,” Farrow wrote.
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
Got a tip for OTR? Send your tip to [email protected] with related photo/video, your name, phone number, and e-mail address.
