They Mow Lawns For The Elderly, Disabled, And Single Mothers For Free

#1 Rodney Smith

Rodney Smith is a college student in Huntsville, Alabama, who started Raising Men Lawn Care Service to cut lawns for those who can't do it themselves.

#2 How It Started

One day he saw an old man trying to mow his lawn and he was struggling. It hit him that these people need help. In some areas, people get a fine for not maintaining their lawns, and Smith was afraid that some elderly people would hurt themselves trying to avoid a fine from the city.

#3 Started His Business

His first thing to do was find a lawnmower. He located one on Craigslist, and the owner gave it to him for free when he learned what he planned to do with it.

#4 Helping Disabled And Elderly

An Alabama A&M student, he started a free lawn service for the elderly and to teach younger kids about community service. Friends gave him names of elderly and disabled neighbors who needed help and he wanted to mow 40 lawns by winter. Before snow fell he had cut around 95 lawns and maintained the lanscaping for another 20. That's when he realized that he needed some help.

#5 Raising Men Lawn Care Service

Rodney Smith, Jr., now runs "Raising Men Lawn Care Service" with "about 20 young men ages 7-17." They cut lawns for the elderly, disabled, and single mothers in the Huntsville area.

#6 Alabama A&M Student

Smith is graduating this May, with a bachelor's degree from Alabama A&M, in computer science, and said "I want to go back and get my master's in social work. All of this has made me want to do social work. I love helping people." He said, "where I come from people know one another and help out those in need."

#7 Originally From Bermuda

Originally from the island of Bermuda, Smith came to the United States at the age of 16, and says that the "Bermudian" way of life has been his ultimate inspiration behind Raising Men's mission. His co-founder and friend Terrence Stroy, and their team of 20 young men have the same philosophy and keep their neighbors' lawns looking crisp on a biweekly basis.

#8 He Hires Young Men To Mow Lawns

Smith had cut over 125 lawns by himself before starting the business with his partner Terrence Stro, and enlisting a team of 20 young and eager boys from age 7 to 17. The men all get a different color shirt depending on how many people they help out. They are paid hourly and also meet weekly for dinner or lunch to keep the morale strong.

#9 Making A Positive Impact

He sent out requests to local mothers asking if they had sons who would join him in giving back to the community. He then opened a Facebook page explaining the organization to local fans and soon had over 45,000 "likes" on the page. Still, what has become essential to the team's objective goes beyond the free services: Smith says it's the influence on young men that keeps them going. In fact, that positive impact is the very reason why he's decided to find a way to incorporate young women into the team as well. He said that the work and the feeling of helping others instills a great deal of pride in the teens, who would otherwise be running the streets.

#10 Funding The Project

Smith sustains his business through his GoFunMe page, so he is able to charge his customers zero. However, he has also had the support of local charities who believe in him and his work and have given the business funding to keep it running. Briggs & Stratton, a company that focuses on the engineering, manufacturing, and development of outdoor products heard of Raising Men and its mission, and they decided to not only provide them with brand new, state-of-the-art outdoor equipment, but they even paid off the team's GoFundMe fundraiser as part of their You.Powered campaign.

Categories

More