The Greenfield Fire Territory showed up with their truck to wish Noah a happy birthday last Saturday.
Submitted photo
GREENFIELD – Greenfield mom Stephanie Harder still can’t get over how the community came together to wish her son a happy birthday.
She had a two-tier cake to feed 60 people at Noah’s 9th birthday party April 27. But nobody showed up.
Her “parent’s worst nightmare” turned around in a matter of minutes, just after she posted to popular Greenfield social media pages.
“I asked people to drive by and honk and say ‘Happy Birthday’ and scream it out the window,” she said. “People started more than just driving by. People were playing ‘Happy Birthday’ music, people started asking, ‘What’s he into? Can I bring a gift?’”
The Greenfield Fire Territory showed up with a truck for him to check out, and the Greenfield Police Department arrived as well.
“One of the cops he sees at Weston Elementary every single day; Noah cried in this man’s arms, just sobbing,” she said. “It seemed like every person that came had a story of being left out or ignored, or it was their biggest fear as a parent.”
Noah not only received gifts from complete strangers, but also plenty of hugs and well-wishes. The party on Broadway Street lasted well into the evening, and even those who missed it sent Harder a message afterward still wanting to give something or pass on their wishes.
Greg Hodge of the Greenfield Fire Territory said he and his wife Michelle saw online that there was a boy in town that needed cheering up on his birthday.
It was his day off of work, but he called up his friends at the GFT and packed his own children – ages 11 and 9 – to head over.
“It was pretty amazing how we were able to get together,” he said. “He went from being devastated to screaming, ‘This is the best birthday ever!’”
Hodge also called his friends at the GPD and before he even finished explaining the situation, the police started working out a plan to come over.
“While we were showing them the fire engine, they came flying hitting their sirens and horns and pulled up and presented him with a present,” Hodge recalled. “It was really amazing; it brings tears to my eyes. I just feel so blessed to be a part of such a great team, whether it’s the police department or the fire department –for everyone to drop what they’re doing, no questions asked, and to show up like that. Noah’s never going to forget that.”
Noah said he was surprised at the outpouring of people that wished him a happy day. He said his favorite part was probably seeing the fire truck because “I’ve loved fire departments since I was a kid.”
The idea to reach out to the community actually started with Noah’s older brother, Levi. When it was obvious no friends were going to show up to Noah’s party, Levi, 11, started walking door-to-door asking neighbors to come. That was when the first guest arrived—another child.
Harder, a mother of three, posts frequently to Tik Tok about disabilities. She said she knows how quickly news can spread on social media, and she said there’s so many negative posts that she hoped something uplifting would inspire the community.
“Noah had the best birthday party ever; he made so many friends,” she said. “I just want to thank everybody that came. The community— they really came together for a little boy.”
