Neighbors raise $37K for bullied boy who knocked on door looking for friends

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Neighbors have helped raise more than $37,000 for a bullied Texas boy who went viral after a heart-wrenching video showed him knocking on their door and asking if they knew any kids his age because he “needs some friends really bad.”

In the clip, seen more than 61 million times on TikTok in just three days, Shayden Walker, wearing a “Jaws” T-shirt, shuffles nervously on the front steps of his neighbor’s home in Amarillo.

“What’s up, man?” answers Brennan Ray, who posted the video from his doorbell camera.

“Hi. I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Like, really bad,” Walker says, looking at the ground.

Ray points the boy toward a house down the street where a few kids live.

“Well, umm, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me,” Walker says.

The boy asks his neighbor if he has any kids, and when Ray tells him he has a 2-year-old son, Walker lights up.

“That’s great. I actually … I love 2-year-old, to be honest. They’re just the most cutest things I’ve ever known,” he says, adding that he “used to have” a 2-year-old sister.

Walker tells Ray his name, and Ray tells him he’ll say hello when he sees him in the neighborhood.

“You have a good day,” the boy says before walking away.

In a follow-up TikTok posted by Ray and his wife Angel shows Walker had approached their house about a half hour earlier, but shied away.

The couple decided to launch a GoFundMe for Walker to help him make friends. The money would go toward a gaming system, school clothes and maybe even some amusement park tickets.

With an outpouring of support, they quickly blew past their initial goal of just $7,000.

All the funds will go directly to Walker’s family.

“Thank you all for your generosity and kindness! We expected to see support from this community but we’re shocked and amazed by how everyone’s shown up for Shayden,” the couple posted on the GoFundMe.

“We decided to turn off donations while we coordinate with his family, but all funds will stay in the GoFundMe account until then. We’ll keep you updated along the way. Thank you! #kindnessmatters”

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