Alabama man travels 15 hours to congratulate South Plains kids for completing 50 Yard Challenge

RANSOM CANYON, Texas (KCBD) - The Cluff brothers in Ransom Canyon and the Breedlove siblings in Meadow were awarded free lawn mowers, leaf blowers and weed eaters on Saturday, after they donated their labor and mowed 50 yards for people in need in their community.

Rodney Smith, Jr. is the founder of a program called Raising Men Lawn Care.

He's from Huntsville, Alabama but he drives all over the country, including 15 hours here to the South Plains, to say thanks to all the young men and women who've completed the challenge and have done something positive in their community.

“At first, I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really want to do this, but once we were getting more lawns done, it got a little more exciting and I realized how important it was to help others. It’s always important to serve and love others,” Wesley Cluff said.

Smith says that's exactly what he's hoping to accomplish through this program he started back in 2015, when he noticed an elderly man struggling to mow his lawn.

He says more than 1,000 kids have signed up for the program, and he’s always excited to see the kids in person, who complete the challenge.

"It's a beautiful thing," Smith said. "When I was younger, when I was these kids age, I disliked mowing lawns. but, God took something I disliked into something now I love to do. It's a beautiful thing to see kids out there mowing free lawns and wanting to get out there and give back to the community, because they could be inside playing video games but instead they are out there making a difference in the community."

The lawn equipment is donated through an Amazon wish list and donations to the Raising Men Lawn Care Service. Girls can sign up, too.

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