Last fall, college student Rodney Smith Jr. did something that struck me. He saw an elderly man struggling to mow his lawn and offered to mow it for him. And with that one act, Rodney showed that we all have something to offer, even it’s something we usually take for granted—like the ability to mow lawns. But Rodney didn’t just leave it at one act of kindness. He challenged himself to cut 100 more lawns for single moms, the elderly, and the disabled. And amazingly, it only took the college student two months to achieve that incredibly selfless goal. Now, because of an especially sweet picture Rodney posted on Facebook, people around the world are finding out about this benevolent young man.
Last fall, Alabama A&M University student Rodney Smith Jr. set a goal to mow 100 lawns for the elderly, disabled people, and single moms. That’s a lot of lawns, but it only took Rodney two months to reach his goal.
Rodney, who is from Bermuda, credits his charitable attitude to his birth country’s friendly, helpful people. “That’s what drives me to help people,” he says.
All of that lawn mowing soon got the attention of a local TV station, which gave Rodney a $300 “pay-it-forward” gift to thank him for his good work. Rodney used it to found Raising Men Lawn Care Service, a non-profit service group that teaches teens the values they need to become good citizens while also helping the elderly, single moms, and disabled people with their yards.
Since the service launched last December, Rodney has mentored 20 youths who’ve taken part in the program, and they’ve also mowed more than 300 lawns.
Now Rodney is receiving wider recognition when a picture of him and a friend with a 93-year-old woman they just helped went viral. Rodney heard the elderly lady needed her lawn mowed, and he came to the rescue. “Have no fear, Raising Men Lawn Care is going to make sure her lawn is done every two weeks!” he wrote on Facebook.
After they made that promise, they took this picture with her…
And it got more than 1 million likes and 250,000 shares on Facebook!
Rodney’s story goes to show you that we all have something to offer, whether it is our skills, our knowledge, or even our positive attitude. Hear Rodney tell his story in the video below.
We did this sweet lady’s lawn today. She is 93, the neighbors told us that she been out their trying to cut her own lawn…
Posted by Rodney Smith Jr. on Saturday, April 23, 2016
Inspired by Rodney’s vision? Inspire others by sharing his story on Facebook!
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