50 states, 50 lawns

Let’s hit the “Because it’s Friday” file:

Rodney Smith Jr., an Alabama A&M student, thinks the path to a better life for people is behind a lawnmower.

“In 2015, I saw an elderly man outside cutting his grass, and it looked like he was struggling,” Smith, originally from Bermuda, tells Atlas Obscura. “From that day on, I decided to cut grass free for the elderly, disabled, single-parent mothers, and veterans.”

He started Raising Men Lawn Care Service in Huntsville, Ala., which uses kids age 7 to 17 to mow the lawns of people who can’t.

It became a big hit in Alabama so now Smith has set a goal of mowing lawns in all 50 states.

“I was in my internship one day, and I was on my lunch break, and I came across a video on Netflix of this guy traveling the world, performing acts of kindness. That sparked the idea for ‘50 States, 50 Lawns,’” says Smith.

So he’s on the road .

According to his Facebook page, he toured the Briggs and Stratton plant in Milwaukee this morning, plans to mow a lawn in Louisville tomorrow morning and one in Michigan on the weekend.