When an elderly woman had just been released from the hospital and was unable to afford having her lawn mowed, two kind men told her that she need not worry; that they would regularly mow her yard for free.

Rodney Smith Jr. and Terrence Stroy now come every two weeks to make sure that her lawn is taken care of; and more importantly, to let her know that she is loved.

“Today we did this lady’s yard. She was telling us how the man next door was charging her to cut her yard and she could not afford it because she is on a fixed income and just came out the hospital,” Rodney wrote.

“She also said how he harasses her for the payment. But she need not worry no more because Raising Men Lawn Care Service will be doing her lawn for FREE just like how we do the rest of the lawns and will get her lawn done every two weeks. She can use the money on things that she really needs like medication. We are making a difference!”
Rodney and Terrence run Raising Men Lawn Care, a nonprofit which seeks to show kindness and compassion to elders, those who are disabled, single mothers and veterans by mowing their lawns for free.

Photo Credit: Raising Men Lawn Care

Rodney first began helping with lawn care when he noticed an elderly man really struggling while mowing his yard. He thought to himself, “I should do something about it.” He challenged himself to mow 40 yards for free in order to help the elderly and those who had trouble mowing their lawns. What began as this initial personal challenge turned into a program of more than 400 young men and women from around America who now also mow their neighbors lawns for free.

Rodney came up with The 50 Yard Challenge, which challenges children and teens all over the country to mow 50 lawns for people in need. They join by posting a photo online of themselves holding a sign which reads “I accept the 50 yard challenge,” and then they get to work…