In 2016 Rodney A. Smith Jr. noticed an elderly gentleman struggling to mow his lawn and kindly stepped in and finished the man’s lawn for him. This small act of kindness led Rodney to come up with the idea to mow lawns and offer yard care for elderly, single moms, disabled, and veterans. For free. From this gesture, Rodney began the Raising Men Lawn Care Service (RMLCS), a program designed to teach the youth in the community that acting in kindness can impact lives of those around them for the better.
Through RMLCS, youth are empowered to invest in their community by mowing lawns, shoveling snow, raking leaves, and more, at no cost to the recipient. Rodney points out that, at first, kids are grumbling, but by the 5th yard, they are smiling and happy to help. Rodney credits his dad, a home builder, for passing a positive, hard-working spirit down to him.
What’s unique about this lawn care program is the creative approach of channeling energetic youth back into the community. To ignite excitement, Rodney created the 50 Yard Challenge. This is a national challenge that encourages young adults to provide for those around them. The challenge involves cutting 50 lawns for free for the elderly, disabled, single mothers and veterans in your town.
Here’s what to do to if you want to get involved in the 50 Yard Challenge:
- Send a photo of you holding a sign saying, I accept the 50 Yard Challenge.
- In return, RMLCS will send you a white shirt, shades and ear protection to get you started.
Once you cut 50 yards, Rodney will visit you, join you in a few community lawn mowings, and gift you with a free lawn mower!
Rodney’s vision is simple and kind. “We want to unite the extraordinary community that is present in our local area. We are completely confident in the fact that we can provide a very inspirational program that focuses on channeling the energy that youths have in a positive way as well as helping those who need it the most. We know that sometimes youth want to help the community and sometimes people need it, but it can be hard to know who, why and where. We focus on getting all of this sorted out while also helping people around the area to care for and maintain their lawns.”
To join the 50 Yard Challenge and find local elderly, disabled, single mother, and veteran yard needs in your community, check out: http://weareraisingmen.com/
