HUNSTVILLE, Al. — A Bermuda man and an Atlanta native are making a difference in the lives of many people one lawn at a time.
[ "Raising Men Lawn Care Service" ]
founder Rodney Smith Jr. of Bermuda and co-founder Terrence Stroy of Atlanta are helping communities across the United States one by one.
Last September, Smith saw an elderly man mowing grass in front of his home and knew from that moment on he wanted to make a difference.
“It just killed me to see him working like that near the end of summer where it’s still very hot in Alabama,” Smith said.
It was on that day Smith and Stroy decided they would cut grass for the homes of the elderly, disabled and single mothers around town in Huntsville, Alabama, and nearby cities for free.
Smith first challenged himself to cut 40 lawns by winter, but it only took a month and a half until he reached his goal.
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So Smith decided to aim a little higher and set a new goal of 100 lawns before winter – reaching that goal just a month later in late November.
Realizing how great of a need this was over the course of just a few months, Smith came up with the idea that he would start a maintenance service that would not only help those in need, but one that would establish an inspiring program to keep young children on a positive path while learning and understanding their value in society.
That’s where "Raising Men Lawn Care Service" comes into play.
“This has been my vision since I started with the first yard,” Smith said. “I want to restore the importance and understanding of giving back to the community.”
"Raising Men Lawn Care Service" is currently mainly run in Huntsville by Smith and Stroy, along with 45 children ages 7-17.
However, Smith’s goal is to have a chapter in each state – currently having seven total in Michigan, Florida, Bermuda, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
"We are currently in the process of getting one in Georgia," Smith said. "We're really excited."
When asked how all of this has been made possible, Smith explained to Channel 2's Kimberly Richardson that outdoor power equipment engine maker
profiled Smith for its You.Powered initiative and created
.
The company also provided them with lawn equipment, including a mower that folds to fit in the trunk of a car.
Since then, donations have been flowing in and a
[ GoFundMe page ]
was created to help with some of the costs to run their service.
Within just two months of being created,"Raising Men Lawn Care Service" has more than $33,000 in donations -- raised by nearly 1,000 people.
Smith says all funds raised are used to purchase T-shirts with a logo for uniformity, lawn equipment, materials and refreshments.
The young children start out with white shirts, but once they've cut 10 lawns they get an orange shirt.
Then a green shirt once 20 have been cut, then blue for 30, red for 40 and finally a black shirt once they've cut 50 lawns.
"It gives them some incentive and makes things a lot of fun," Smith explained.
Smith graduated this past May at Alabama A&M University with a computer science major, but is going back to school on Thursday to get his Masters in Social Work.
"Starting this has made me realize that this is my passion," Smith said. "This is what I'm destined to do."
Smith tells Richardson he plans on continuing "Raising Men Lawn Care Service" while at school in Alabama.
"I can't imagine stopping," Smith said. " It's my mission to instill the message that no matter how young or old, small or tall you are, you are capable of whatever you put your mind to."