PETERBOROUGH, ONT.—Odin Camus thought no one could make it to his 13th birthday party. Then love and kindness showed up.

And they brought their friends, who brought balloons, cake, pizza, gifts galore, a fire truck, paparazzi and a stretch limo to pick up the guest of honour. And faster than you could yell "surprise!" a bowling alley became party central, jam-packed with hundreds of friends Odin never knew he had.

"Wow, it's amazing to know how much people care," marvelled the newly minted teenager as a cheering crowd greeted him at Lakeview Bowl Friday night. "It makes me feel amazing. I got a taste of what celebrities feel like."

It all started with a polite plea his mother Melissa Camus posted on social media that morning, asking if a few of her friends could help make the day special for her son. He's bullied, has Asperger syndrome and has trouble making friends, she wrote. "Unfortunately, not one kid rsvp'd to his birthday 'hang out' invite."

Word flashed around the world: "Let's make him feel loved."

And so the party started. Odin's new cellphone was deluged with more than 5,000 text messages. Best wishes, videos, virtual birthday cards and shout-outs flooded Facebook and other sites.

The Blue Jays and Raptors invited him to games and strangers offered gifts and adventures tailor-made for a 13-year-old. Tweets from actor Elijah Wood, Justin Trudeau and even the Property Brothers joined 20,000 others to make Odin "the number one topic of conversation on Twitter across Canada," as the awestruck youngster observed.

"It's awesome, it's incredible, it's overwhelming," his mom said, wiping away tears between hugs and huge smiles. "I mean look at this: so many people here just to wish him happy birthday."

Odin, Melissa explained, struggles daily with the challenges of Asperger's, an autism spectrum disorder that causes difficulty and awkwardness in social interactions. "It's heartbreaking and it's sad," she said. "He often says, 'I don't fit in.' "

But Austin Levesque set the record straight: "He has more friends than he thinks he has," the 6-year-old declared after he and 4-year-old brother Caleb presented hand-drawn birthday cards and hugged the lanky teen's legs.

"If someone's in need, you should extend your hand and give him your love," said Nadine Agyei, who came with two university pals.

"I didn't want him to be alone on his birthday," said Cameron Potter, 11, watching the celebration. "I'm pretty sure everyone here knows they helped a kid."

One 5-year-old was drawn by Odin's name, a deity in Norse mythology. "My name is Freyja and we're both gods and goddesses," she explained.

When Melinda Wease arrived with two big birthday cakes, she said she was just giving back to the community that helped her.

"Twenty-eight years ago I lost a child and community support got me through," said the grandmother of seven boys. "We're all neighbours in Peterborough."

Chauffeur Roxanne King delivered the birthday boy in high style with a 28-footer borrowed from the family business, Personal Touch Limo.

"I cried when I pulled into the parking lot and saw how many people there were. Odin said he felt bigger than Justin Bieber."

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The teen, who thanked everyone for their support, said the lack of response to his planned pizza-and-sleepover party "made me feel a bit lonely.

"But it ended up being this amazing happening."