Rodney Smith, Jr. is on a mission to mow the lawns of those who need it most – and on Thursday it brought him to Tallahassee. The 29-year-old is a native of Bermuda, who now lives in Hunstville, Alabama. Smith has travelled the nation several times over since 2017, supported mostly through donations. At each stop Smith mows lawns completely free of charge. He started what’s called the 50 Yard Challenge, to encourage young people to follow suit in their communities.
Ryan Dailey recently sat down with Rodney Smith, Jr. to talk about the journey, and what keeps him going.
Questions:
How did you get into doing this – what kicked you off on this journey?
Have you been to all 50 states?
How did this all take off? People following you on social media etc., how did you build that momentum?
Being on the road so often – what keeps you going on the day-to-day?
What do you hear from the people whose lawns you mow? What’s the response like?
What is it about a fresh-cut lawn that means so much to people?
Tell me some more about the 50 Yard Challenge. How many young people are participating?
