Cutting lawns during the summer can be a chore, especially when temperatures and humidity rise. But an Alabama man not only enjoys cutting grass, he also wants to mow in all 50 states.
"I'm on a journey called '50 States, 50 Lawns,'" Rodney Smith told WHAS. "(I'll be) mowing a lawn in each state for someone who's elderly, disabled, a single parent mother or veteran.
Smith has done yardwork in four states so far, he told WHAS.
Smith, who lives in Huntsville, Alabama, but is originally from Bermuda, admitted that as a youth he did not like to cut grass. However, a chance encounter with an elderly man changed his perspective.
"It was on a hot, sunny August day and he was struggling, so I pulled up and helped him out and he really appreciated it," Smith told WHAS. "And I realized that this is something that so many people deal with."
It was that encounter that led Smith to create the Raising Men Lawn Care Service, which helps needy people by cutting their lawns for free.
Sunday, Smith was in Louisville to mow the yard of a woman who had recently lost her husband.
"I came to release some stress off her back by mowing her lawn," Smith told WHAS.
Smith’s business goal is to encourage youths to pitch in and help neighbors in need. He has set a goal of 50 lawns for each youth, WHAS reported.
"Once they reach 50, we fly to them and we do lawns with them and we also surprise them with a brand new lawn mower," Smith said.
According to Smith, 12 boys have completed the 50-yard challenge.
There are more than 100 kids involved in the Raising Men Lawn Care Service in the United States and there are also participants in Canada, Bermuda and England, WHAS reported.
About the Author
