An Alabama man made a stop in Dallas on Tuesday as part of his mission to mow lawns for people in all 50 states -- free of charge.
Rodney Smith Jr. is the founder of Raising Men Lawn Care. He's traveling across the country to mow lawns for the elderly, the disabled, single moms and veterans in a mission that he designed to help people give back to their community and promote awareness for the youth of the future.
He's challenged kids to go out into their community and mow 50 lawns. He calls it the 50 lawn challenge and his organization will give kids shirts for every 10 lawns they mow. If a child mows all 50, Smith Jr. and his crew with come out and mow lawns with them and give the child a new lawnmower.
"I'm trying to inspire kids to go out there and make a difference one lawn at a time," Smith Jr. told Good Day on Tuesday morning.
He uses social media to find people to help. He mowed seven lawns across North Texas on Tuesday, bringing smiles to several area families.
"Here I am, this guy from Alabama, driving around all over the states," Smith Jr. said. "[People say] 'You come to my house? I'm so far away!' They're so happy I come to help them out. They need this service."
Smith Jr. relies entirely on donations to fund his travels, which will end in Hawaii in July. But his mission will not end there. Eventually he wants to see chapters of Raising Men Lawn Care open up all over the country.
"Even if a grownup is out there and wants to make a difference too, I hope that they can see what I'm doing and try to do the same," Smith Jr. said.