When he saw an elderly man struggling to mow his lawn, Rodney felt called to pull over and finish it for him. This single act of generosity transformed Rodney's life forever, inspiring him to challenge kids to cut 50 lawns for free for the elderly, single parents, veterans, and those with disabilities. And his "50 Yard Challenge" has been accepted by 4,948 kids from 8 countries!
Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks. And we continue now with part two of our conversation with Rodney Smith Junior. Right after these brief messages from our general sponsors. So you got all these kids, and then I've read you decided I'm gonna cut I'm gonna cut some grass in every steak.
Yeah that was a crazy idea. What that was a crazy idea?
Yeah? That was nuts.
Because because the farthest.
How many miles your car got on it?
Which one?
Because because okay, well I guess what I'm saying is you're going to class. Yeh, in between class, you cut you yard. Now you're talking to people all over the country about T shirts and things, and you ain't got no money. So you promised the lamows you don't know how you pay for. And then you decide I'm gonna go to every state in the United States and cut somebody's grass and I still ain't got no money. Yeah.
Well, I tell you everything I went through to get to that point where the idea of moving someone's long east stage is crazy? Because so who organization made me find my true purpose in life? That's helping people. So after the get my bachelor's computer science, I went back to get a master's and social work. So, yeah, I know too much.
You don't do that, You're never gonna make anything out of your life. And you have remember that.
That's what they told me.
So you, after you got a degree in computer science, you went back and got your masters in social work. Yeah, that's phenomenal. Why are you cutting grass? Okay, So anyway, the fifty state ding.
Yeah, So after getting went back to school get my master's social work. So my first year of getting my masters and social work, I was on my internship and I was on my lunch break watching this video and Netflix of this guy that traveled the world on the acts of condness to others. So he's going around the world doing acts of condness. And that gave me the idea of fifty states, fifty loans. I mean, this came to me. Fifty states, fifty lawns. I'm gonna go to old fifty States and mow lawn.
How are you gonna get alar mode of Hawaii?
You can? I didn't know at the time. So that's that was the idea.
And you've literally said I'm gonna get my car and drive this.
And the funny thing is before that, the first I have a drive was like to Atlanta, which is about three hours away. So I'm thinking about driving to old fifty states. So at this point Breaks and stretton the world's largest makers and small lawnmower engines. They came down and done like a short video on the organization, like a two minute video. And then I was real cool with the PR guy And as soon as I came with the idea, he's the first guy called say, look, Jake, I'm going into all fifty states to make people aware of the organization and encouraged kids to sign up for the fifty yard Challenge. I said, can you ask Breaking Shredding, would they give me a lawnmower? Second, taking my car and go to all fifty states? Give you one, give me one. I just need one or one more. And he said yeah, let me let me call them and see and then we hung up.
And you've literally put this thing in your trunk. Yeah, what kind of car were you driving?
I was driving at that point. I was driving a Infinity nineteen ninety nine.
How many miles were on it when you finished?
Oh? So no, So I got we got a backtrack. So at that time, I had Infinity, I was about to graduate. I was about to graduate my bachelor's and that's when support of the organization, they raised about fifteen thousand dollars to get me a new car.
No kidding.
Yeah, the people that support people. A lady by the name of Lindsey, she lived in she lived in a who was it, New Jersey. She she'd done a secret fundraiser and she raised fifteen thousand dollars to get me a bigger car. And I got a two thousand and seven Ford Edge once I graduated, and I took that car and went to Old fifty States my first time. And yeah, it started like that. And but back to Britain, Stratton, I asked for one law more. They said they loved the idea so much of me going to Old fifty States. They wanted to fund the project, me to go my first fifty state tour. They wanted to fund it. They asked how much would it cause I just said, like eight thousand dollars.
Hold, They asked you you asked for one law more. Yeah, and they said, nah, we'll run the whole deal.
And a loanmore.
Yeah.
Yeah, So I'd done that. Man.
Hold it. So you started in Huntsville, I guess.
I think the first one went to Huntsville.
Yeah, all right, so Alabama's off the list. Yes, I said you went to Georgia.
Yeah, I went to oldy States. So we had supporters across the country. So I said, the first one was finding one ali disabled, single parent or a veteran. So if anyone knew anyone in the fifty States, let me know and I'll put them down for the state. And just went a wround to old fitty States. I had everything mapped up before I left, so everyone was pre arranged.
So I didn't think there was any grass in Arizona. How did you find some grass to cut out there? Yeah?
The grass in Arizona just grass cut by his rocks. Oh no, just grass. And people get grass out there, and and Nevada people get grass out there. Hawaii got grass. I mean Alaska got grass. But yeah, the grass everywhere.
How did you get to Alaska? You flew? Yeah, you had to flow Alaska?
And why I flew?
What did you do with your lawnmower?
I rented one and Hawaiian did along. Yeah, home depot, you can rent no more.
I will tell you something. You should be sponsored by Briggs and Stratton like you are. But Ford Edge out to tell that story and sponsor you home depot.
I gotta tell you another story. You ready for the other story, So yeah, I love them. Fast forward in so today today I've been.
To don't go too far. We're gonna get to that, okay.
So the first few fifty state tours for the elder disabled single parents Invernents. Then I started customizing lawnmowers for different causes. So one of the first causes I customized the lawnmower for was for for military. I went to office states and thank veterans for the service. So I moved veterans laan in each state, and I had a pre made letter just thanking veterans for the service, and they got to meet veterans from World War two, Vietnam and just moving the lawn and sitting down and interviewing them and sharing the story, capturing the story and sharing it with people that support organization. And I've done that one. Then I done another one called moeing with cops. So I customized the lawnmower that looked like a police car, had a light bar on top.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. You had a light but you had a lawn more or like a rodder?
No push or push more?
Is that push that you may look like a police car.
Yeah, at the light bar. I wanted to come up with the idea and spent and looked online for a company that made a light bar, and I found a way how the power of the light bar on the lawnmower. So I've done that.
Meant to offer the States and you you you were cutting cops. No, no, you had cops help.
Yeah. So for for the for the Moaning with Cops tour, you will find someone LDI, disabled, singaparre, a veteran, and the officers will come out and they will come out and mo with me. So they big departments will come out. So like in Boston, like four or five police officers come out, came out to mo with me. The biggest place was Rhode Island. They had about fifteen seventeen cars. They had the sheaff, they had the police officers that detected, they had to sweat team. The lady I was mooning force said what what's going on? Because the whole department, the whole World Island police force came out the moon and it was a lot of cops. The people thought it was a big drug boss or something and they came out the mo with me and and that was a powerful image because at that time the police was taking a hit in the media. People really didn't back.
So you wanted to give the cops.
Exactly exactly, and I found that free loan care and police officers. It made it just made made sense. And after that fifty state tour with the.
To connect the cops back to the community exactly.
And these these special mores I made with light Bard, I told Toro the idea, I want to make these lawnmowers and give them donate on police officers across the country, and they do. They need me ten law mowers to customize into these police mores, and I donated them to officers and departments across the country, and officers to this day they go and they canmunity and.
Use they building that bridge between officers in the community because like if a kid sees that special lawnmower with a light bar and a police officer monity, that kids can come up to that police officer and say that's pretty cool.
And that's going to start a conversation. So a kid that probably didn't trust the officer because of the parents or whatever, they're now interacting with that officer and they're building that relationship in the community. And that was the idea. And to this day, I'm making these lawnmowers and given them to departments across the country and they're going out in their community and they're building building relationships with their community with these with these moors. So that was the whole alive said, sadly, he's no longer.
How how how long? How much of this did he get to see development? You had to have gone back and talked to him.
Yeah, but I think he So I met him in twenty fifteen. It was sometime in twenty sixteen. He passed away.
But did he get to see what your one happenstance meeting had started to become?
He didn't see them. He didn't see that much of them.
No, sadly, don't you wish he had? Yeah, he's smiling down on heaven from you. I gotta believe that, broh. So after the cop lawn more extravaganza, what else did you do? Yeah?
So another one was I've done another tool for veterans So my tour forty states, again moving for veterans and thinking them for the service and for this particular one at American Flavor.
And again you're going to every state in the country, cutting grass every state of veterans to illuminate.
Just think veterans for this tour, and particularly just thinking veterans, because I've learned that America is what it is because of the veterans. You know, I'm able to do what I can in America because of veterans. Because it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now. They risk people, risking their lives. And that's why I even tell kids in the program, you have to do stuff for people that do stuff for you. The veterans are important. That's why I try to instill two kids in the program. You know, you have to get back to veterans. All way of giving back is to free loan care. So that's it don't matter how big the lawn is, We're gonna move for that veteran. There's a gold Star family out where I live in Huntsville. This is when I had to push more his goal start. He lost two kids, two kids in Iraq, and Afghanistan.
What's he a veteran too?
He was a veteran as well, and his two sons at last two acres, I push it. I push two acres. It doesn't matter how big it when. If a veteran doesn't no questions, I'm gonna move the lawn. And that's why I try to instill in these kids.
Do you ever get people that you that you or your your kids do work for that are so over come with your kindness that they become emotional?
You could say that there's been a few people that come real emotional breakdown and cry.
What does that make you feel like?
Man, it just makes me feel like. You know, the service that we're offering of offering means so much, you know, because especially the elderly, the disabled, even the veterans, a lot of more fixed incomes, you know, that really struggling. So when we can come cut it for free, that now frees them up and they can use the extra funds for things they really need, food and medication and stuff like that. There's even been some times where one time in Texas, this lady was telling me that there's people that go around they measure your grass with a stick, if it's at a certain height, you get fined. So you know, the service that we're offering is so important, you know, and that's why I'm trying to get more kids involved. And it's not just moving, you know, we also include raking leaves and snow shoveling and stuff like that, so it's a year round. It can give back and help and serve their communities.
So have you ever rolled up to a lawn that you thought these people could be cutting their own grass and they're using me.
There's been times where you have that feeling, you know, there's been when we first started. There's I remember one time meant to move for an elderly and a younger couple came up, Oh yeah, you can to move my mother, she's inside sor right. Once we get done, you'd like to meet her, say, just speak to her. Moved a lawn and then just they played us. They just literally played us because it wasn't for the elder mother, it was for them, you know, people who took advantage. You know. It's one or two stories like that.
You know what the reason I ask is, it's important that people know that anytime you reach out to do something, there's always going to be a few bad apples. But you can't let that.
Discourage You can't. You can't. You just got to keep keep on pushing and just find bat the ways to you know, filter those foot to those own.
So there was a story about I remember reading about a lady whose grass was so high she couldn't even cut it, and then she felt bad when you showed up because the grass was so high it was going to take forever. Do you remember that story.
It's been it's been a few of those, so I can't remember the exact story, but it's been a few. Like you just shruped to a.
Lawn like, wow, this like looks like a jungle. Yeah.
And the crazy thing is like, for the for the first seven years, I was only using push mores, and just this year someone donated a rotting more. So the first seven years just using a push more of all these big lawns, you know, pushing big told us me using a push more, not just me.
It's a grass five foot high.
Man, There's been something like that.
Why in the world do you even cut it?
Pray to God, you just have to push it, go over it a few times. But it's been lawns like that. It's been really been a few lawns like that and you just just got to get figured out. Yeah, I just got a free.
What's the worst looking yard you ever rolled up?
Toy? Been a few men. I have to go back and look at some pictures because you know, each loan we do, we take before and off the pictures. Yeah, but there's been been a few bad lungs, Like how can it get so bad? Whoa jungle?
Like I'm just completely out of control? Don't you wonder if some of these elderly people that got lawns like that, where's their family? Yeah?
You have to ask yourself like, man, this was my mother father.
I wouldn't let it get like this exactly.
But you speak to them and be like, no, my live in this another state, and you know they don't contact me no more.
That's like whoa do you just your presence and just showing them that you're there. It's got to make them feel cared for too, Yeah, because you know it's a lot more in cutting grass.
Yeah, and you get it, especially with the veterans after you more the lawn, like wow, they feel so prideful about the lawn, you know, if it's overgrown and stuff like that, the down but the moment you cut the lawn and make it look brand new almost again, they feel so happy. Oh look at my lawn to come up. Wow, I can see outside now.
And the kids you have with you get to see the immediate reaction from the fruits of their kindness.
Yep. You know there's been stories like one kid named Wesley Shy, quiet kid kept himself, you know, before he started a program. But once he started it, you know, mom will tell me, you can't more friendly. Started getting out there and meet people and you know, build relationships with the people that he moved for.
That's crazy. So there's I think you've done. Did you cut fifty yards and fifty states for breast cancer awareness?
Yeah? So breast cancer wwuitness was not the cause I moved for. So I customized whatever cause I moved for, customize lawnmower for that cause. So I had to pink lawnmore and I meant to go for the states I moved for those who had breast cancer, those who lost love want to breast cancer, those who survived breast cancer. Moved the lawn. Then after I interviewed them and got to learn their story and share their you know, share the story with my audience online and encourage men and women to get you know, checked for breast cancer because I didn't realize that men could get breast cancer as well. So that's something I learned on the tour. So each tour that I moved for, you know, just try to make it educational as well. So I'm for breast cants, I moved for Donald syndrome. I moved for autism officers, veterans. I've got a few few more normre customized right now for different causes as well.
So during COVID, obviously you can't go hug and pose for pictures like you've always done. And so COVID created a little bit of a challenge and that you still are doing your your service and you're still doing your philanthropy, but it created a different set of challenges. But I understand that you then use the showing up to cut people's lawns to also deliver food and supplies and hand sanitizer and other things to people who needed it. How did that work work?
Pretty good? I call them moo and drops.
You call what I call them moo and drops, mow and drop.
Yeah, so mow the lawn, then I drop them groceries and other things they need, especially the elder people you know, was stuck inside couldn't come out because been COVID frust came that they made it sound like it was you go outside, you're gonna die or something like that. So a lot of the elderly people will stayed inside. We'll take pictures, but it'll be at the door. They'd be inside and I'll be outside and take pictures, but I would go out and buy them groceries and then drop it to the door after I got done.
Rodney, I think you're the Ben and Jerry of lawnmowing. Ben and Jerry's took a simple thing as ice cream and made like ninety thousand different versions. Yep, you've taken lawnmow. You've taken mowing a lawn and come up with every possible scenario of things that you can tag onto it simply to do something kind for other people.
Yes, what's next, I don't know yet, but it's gonna come to me.
We'll be right back. I know we're talking about four thousand kids and I don't know how many lawns, but my math says, it's well over two hundred thousand lawns, maybe a quarter of a million lawns. But other than mister Brown, which has to be the paramount story because it's what got it all started. Do you have an absolute favorite story of a lawn that you've got.
Yeah, I mean Miss Gibbs.
Miss Gibbs where Miss gips from.
She's from Huntsville, Obama. She's I think her photos was one of the ones that went viral at the beginning and moved alone or to be up to this year. This year she sadly passed away. But you know, I remember meeting her for the first time. Person next door used to move alone, but he was charging her and she couldn't afford it cause she's gonna fixed income. And be sure that story and that went viral back in twenty sixteen. But we just we just had a special connection, just bonded. Every time more alone, she'd come out, bring lemonade and stuff like that. After moving alone, we just sit on her porch and we talk and every time we moved alone, take a picture with her.
And people.
Just love Miss Gibbs and she's like a grandmother to me, both my grand all my grandparents had passed away and she became like that other grandparent and then you know, I gave everyone the sad news this year. I think it was in May that she passed away, and they were heartbroken because they just love to see her smile every time we took that picture together and you know, just just a sweet lady. And one of the one of the goals for me is to start a scholarship fund for the organization and the first scholarship will give away will be in her honor. The mis Gibbs Gives some fun. So there's one kid named Quinton, one of the kids from his grandmother that signed up being in Ohio married Ohio at the start. He's about to graduate high school. So my goal is to and made it go up to him and give him the fresh official scholarship in honor of mis Gives and yeah on a miskap.
And you know, most people would say, well, that's a really kind of thought where some money going to come from? But I guess if I ask you, you will tell me you'd have no idea where the money's going to come from, but you're going to find it.
Well, the organization people donating all the time, now, and I think we have enough funds to start a scholarship fun and even still, I believe if I mentioned it to the audience on social media, people would would would help fund it and start the scholarship fun because you know a lot of the kids come from low income families. So I think it's important to invest in education. Doesn't have to be a four year college. It could be a trade school as long as they get that the education where they can you know, they can do something with their life. You don't want to be home doing nothing. You know, you become anything you want to. I just want to help kids to become whatever they want to become.
So I got to ask you, you couldn't get a job when you're in college because you couldn't get a green card because you're on a what an education visa? Is that what it's called? What is your immigration status? Now? Yeah?
So right now I'm still on a visa, but I'm able to work and stuff. I'm still working on my green card. I had immigration situation come up and immigration law firm has took my case on pro bono, So hopefully this year I have my green card in hand.
If there is any immigrant on the face of the planet that deserves for this kid taken care of. It's you. I mean, dude, you've done more for American veterans, the ninety nine point nine to nine percent of us, and probably a lot more than the people who make the decisions about getting green cards. I mean, for gosh sakes, what's the hold up? Why is it? What's the deal?
Immigration is just just a sticky situation. It's long situation. It costs money. But luckily, like I said that law firms Stephen David said, Maner and Cooper they took my case on pro bono and man, they've been a joy that they got my new visa which allows me to work and stuff like that. I mean, if it wasn't for them, I probably be back. How I had to go back to Bermuda last year.
Do you just want to be a US citizen?
Oh? Yeah, that's my goal. So once I got the green card, I had to be five years to be a citizen. But the five years, so the woman I'm eligible for to become a US citizen, I'm gonna run to it and become Ronnie.
I gotta ask you something. I'm from Bermuda. You overcome all the challenges of your learning disability. You end up with the Masters, and you're doing all that you do across our country for people because of some compassion you once shared for a man named mister Brown. And you're having to have spend money and go through legal hoops just to get a green card to then wait five more years to become a citizen of our country. Meanwhile, you've driven all over this country many times, gone to all fifty states, and you must pass people all day every day that take this country and their citizenship for granted and don't put one ounce of the effort into it that you've devoted your life to. What do you think when you compare your journey with someone whose journey was given to them and doesn't do anything with it, How does that make you feel? What goes through your brain? You have to recognize that.
Yeah, I mean, like I have some friends that are born here. You know they're just lazy. Like you have the opportunity to become anything you want to be in America. You can't do that anywhere else. You can't just start something and become a successful anywhere else in the world. Don't think you could do that here, So just get out there and do it. Don't come up with his gouoses. I don't know it.
Just do you talk to you the kids that you work with about those kinds of things.
Yeah, tell them. You can become and do anything you want to anything, I mean anything anything. If you want to become a billionaire, you can become a billionaire if you have that idea. If you want to become a basketball player, well it's a little risky, but if you train every day and that's what you want to do, aim for it, you can become anything. You want to become a lawyer or doctor, you can do that if you have your mind focused on that.
Or if you want to become a lawnmowing savant.
Exactly lawns like me, you can do that. You can do that in America. You become anything you want to become. You can't do that anywhere else. Like all the stuff that I'm doing right now, I couldn't do that in Bermuda. I couldn't do that in England. I couldn't do that in Asia or something like that, you know, but I could do that in America. In America, if you can think it, you can you can become it.
So what you're saying, is just a normal old person who has challenges throughout their life can do extraordinary things in this country and you can change laves.
Yeah, I mean I didn't. This is not the path that I dreamed on, but this is my purpose. And I found my purpose while I was in school, and I came, of course the elder man. And every single day I get the chance to wake up and do something I love. Get the visit kids when they finished the fifty yard challenge. Like even after this, I'm headed to Kansas and I'm going to visit two brothers that compete to fifty yard challenge.
You're gonna go, so you still go deliver lawnmown.
Yeah, so I'm still After the next week, I'll be Uh. I had it to Michigan, two brothers out there, and then after that I had it to New York to two kids out there that finished the fifty yard challenge. So I'm always on the road. If I'm not mowing, I'm on the road delivering more to kids.
How many kids have registered across the United States.
So today we have over four thousand plus kids across the United States, at least one in each state. Texas has the most kids with over like four hundred kids or.
Something like that, four thousand kids, four thousand kids cutting lawns for free, four.
Thousand kids for the YEP, and four thousand kids in total in the organization, plus kids in eight other different countries. So we have what countries kids in Canada, Bermuda, England, Australia, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and South Africa.
All cutting lawns because one day you pulled over and asked mister Brown if you could help them? Yes, sir, do you ever pinch yourself? Yeah?
I mean because I would have known, Like, especially when I came across mister Brown, if you would have asked me at that moment, where do you see yourself in ten, ten years, seven years, it wouldn't be this. But it's like it's like a book. Every year is a new chapter, something else happens, and like I had to go through all of that to get to where I am today. Like when I got that car, I didn't tell you that. One of my fifty state tours Ford Motor Company in Michigan, I was on a veterans tour. They told me, oh, come move for a veteran, won't we want to film that experience. So I said okay, and it came out Ford Motor Company. This is Ford Motor Company. It's like, okay, I moved for the veterans. After moving that lawn, they gave me a brand new food Edge.
You're kidding.
That could only happen in America because they saw what I was doing for veterans, they gave me a brand new car. And then just last year, so the Ford add is a small s u V. So that's how I was delivering more than that to kids than last year. A guy by the name of mister Neil Hawks. I posted a picture of me going to visit some kids to drop lawnmowers, and he says, look like you need a new vehicle, a bigger vehicle. I said, juggling.
Yeah.
He said, send me an inbox. I sent them an inbox. He said, I want to help you. I want to get you a bigger vehicle.
I didn't know.
I said, okay, I mean you can't take anyone serious. Sometimes you want to get me a car that doesn't happen, she said, gave me a call. I gave him a call. He says, gonna look into it. Next day, he calls me. Oh, my buddy owns a owns a car dealership up here in Missouri. I'm going to buy this two thousand and seven Team Cargo van. I'm gonna buy it. Can you fly up? Yes, yes, sir? I hung up. A few days later, I flew up to Missouri, met him and his wife at the airport. They had the van. Shook the hand and we talked and and I drove to van Hum to Huntsville, Alabama, and just just see him seeing what I was doing for the organization. Because he just came across that post. He's saying. What resonated with him was he used to move loans when he was younger, and he sees what we're doing with the kids, and to this day he's a big supporter.
Rodney. What do your parents think?
The problem? The problem? The shock that I've come this far because they I guess they didn't see all this happening.
Have you do you go back to Bermudo to visit? Yeah? I try to.
Like right now, I can't fly back there because I have to get this immigration stuff situation, But yeah, I fly back when I can.
Would you do me if I ever? Next time you go back, go find that teacher and say you're wrong if she's still teaching. Man, it's amazing, Rodney, your story. I tell a lot of stories, yes, And I set across from people and listened to their stories. Right, And it's not just the words. It's it's not just what you say, but how you say it. But it's also the body language and the inflection. And you are so genuinely kind and compassionate. And yeah, the work you've done is amazing, but what is so endearing is how humble you are about it. You're just a guy cutting lawns and this thing's gone crazy, and I think you still get that sense about yourself. And I have a big appreciation for that humility.
The way I see it is if you ever see a horse and a race, they have these blinders on the eyes. And that's what I believe what God is doing to me. I have these blinders on my eyes to keep me straight, so I understand what we're doing is important, it's a movement. But God has these blinders on my eyes to keep me humble, to keep me straight on the mission.
That's beautiful, man, So just keep straight. You know, we've talked about the fifty States and the fifty lawns. And you've done all kinds of tours, but that's not the only kind of tour. If you've done yeah, what's the other? Yeah?
So in total, just finished one. But in total I've done fifteen fifty stick tours. Ten have been for mowing and five have been something called Hope for the Holiday. And that's when I go to old fifty States. It really started with me going to all fifty states dress as Santa Claus, and I went to all three states and I met a homeless person in each state, and then I gave them ten sleeping bigs with backpack and things they need.
And then do you get this stuff to give them? Yeah?
Social media? So on social media. For the first one, I made Amazon whistless with ten sleeping bigs, hygiene kids, hand warmers and stuff like that and put them on an Amazon wistless and supporters run another and they bought these items. And that's where I at least met one homeless person in each state, gave them these items and everything was wrapped in Christmas rap and you just all.
Right, now, the homeless people, they're not reaching out to you on Facebook? Are they? So you just literally let me get this right, dude, you riding up fit all fifty states. You ride up dressed like Santa Claus to a homeless dude with a timp well tent.
Tent is wrapped up and then in the backpacktors hygiene kids sleeping eggs in the world.
Do they think when you ride up, dress like Santa Claus.
Pop out of your car with Santa Claus is real?
And you've done this five times?
Yeah, So first ones with the homeless mental fority states. I'll give them these items and I'll ask them what's one thing they want for Christmas? Some said they wanted a hot shower, so I'll go out and I would buy them a two or three nights stay in the hotel room. Some would say they wanted a ticket home. I will go out and buy them a Greyhound ticket so they can get home and stuff like that. And this is from people that support organizations dressed like Santa, dressed like sand and people would donate while I'm on the road, and I would just use those funds to buy these items. And then I teamed up with my friend Yuri Williams. He's in kind of California and he dresses up as different superheroes. And we went to oll for the States and we went visited kids that got bullied, kids with cancer and other disabilities, and we give them gifts for Christmas. And we just finished our most recent one a few days ago in Hawaii, and again over the States. We found kids with cancer, other disabilities. We even found kids who have low incomes that might not have had a chance to have Christmas gifts. We gave them gifts. And that's all because the people around me.
You're dressed as saying, and he's dressed as a superhero.
He's dressed a superhero for this one. We both have elf elf jackets on, so we're playing the Elf this time.
Dude, you continue to come up with ways to just give phenomenal story, We'll be right back. You know, Rodney, I've just I can't add the miles up, but it's millions that you travel and you clearly spend I mean, if you're going around delivering lawnmowers to all these kids, you spend a lot of time outside of huntspitaling on the road. And you know, uh, what's that mean for for you and a family life? One day?
Yeah, hopefully I could start a family eventually only thirty three, so you know, kind of young, kind of young. So the next few years, like to start a family right now with me being in a road so much, you know, I can't.
But you're gonna have to have a mode, win a bgo, a win Ago, a motor home. Oh yeah, yeah, just load them up at that and go and just.
Go and bring the family with me.
Yeah.
But if yeah, I like to start one, but with me being a road so much, you know, it's kind of impossible.
Yeah yeah, But like.
If I the family right now, I won't be able to do all the things that I'm doing right now. I'll probably be divorced. You get your time, Yeah exactly. But you know, right now I have the freedom to do what I do, what I want with the organization. So next few years, as the organization grows and start chapters across the United States, you know, people can step up and they can start delivering nomars for their state, and I just oversee the organization.
What will you see makes good sense? Make a bunch of little Rodney stuffs all over the place. Yeah, I cannot imagine that there's not parents listening to us right now, who are thinking I need to get my fat, lazy kid off the couch and out of the video games and doing something for somebody other than themselves. And so if somebody wants to reach out to you and get their kid involved and be part of Raising Men, how do they reach you?
Yeah, so they can go to my Twitter at I am Rodney Smith on there, we have a link that takes them to the fifty yard Challenge. And it's not only raising men now, we also have Raising Women. So it's raising men and women. So we're trying to en courage both boys and girls to get out there and make a difference. So I think the first three years was just raising men. Then a few girls was starting to sign up, and we just giving them Raising Men t shirts. They didn't sit well with me, so I came up with Raising Women. So when girls sign up, they get a Raising Women's T shirt col And we're seeing a lot of young ladies signing up. And I gotta tell you that some of these young ladies they can move better than these guys.
Yeah, they outwork the fat light for sure.
It's like wow. They pay attention to details like wow. But you're trying to encourage both boys and girls to get out there and make a difference. But yeah, they go find us on social media at our website that we are Raising men dot com or we are Raising women dot com or Raising Men and Women dot com and will take them all to the same website and they can go to the fifty yard Challenge page and just sign their kids up. And once they sign up, I'll send them a white T shirt along with the safety glasses and your protection and a letter with some tips on how to stay safe and stuff like that, and they can get started.
That is phenomenal. You know what, You've literally cut grass, cut your You've literally mowed your way across the United States. It was just phenomenal. And if you're sitting around thinking, boy, I'd like to do something good in my community, but I just don't know how. All you got to do is listen to your story. You're a guy who literally stopped one day to help an utterly man mow his lawn and ask creator a movement that's reached over four thousand kids and I guessed over two hundred thousand or so long and so far, and all the hearts and minds you've touched through your generosity and your compassion and have turned in a simple act of mowing a lawn into a mentorship for kids about how to give back and how to grow community, how to raise awareness for autism, breast cancer, how to try to reconnect police officers with the community, how to help people who couldn't get out of their homes during COVID. All of these things from cutting mister Brown's grass one day. And if you hear this story and you still can't figure out a way to go do something in your community, you're just not trying. And you are a beautiful illustration of you don't have to come from anywhere to become somebody, and to overcome disabilities, to overcome green car art issues, to overcome going to boarding schools at sixteen, to end up with a master's and social work, and be doing the things that you've done and accomplished so far. I'm just I'm humbled by your story, man, And I know you hear it all the time. Now you have to, and I know that you know everybody that hears your story has got to be so inspired by it. But I want to tell you from a guy who talks to a lot of inspiring people who do a lot of inspiring things. Bro, you are you are a special human being. Thank you, and it is my honor to get to know you. And I really appreciate you joining me. I appreciate you having me, and I appreciate all of you for joining us this week. If Rodney or another guest has inspired you in general, or better yet, to take action by taking art in the fifty yard Challenge, donating to raising men and women, law care service, or something else entirely, please let me know. I'd love to hear about it. You can write me anytime at billatnormalfolks dot us, and I swear to you I'll respond. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with friends and on social subscribe to the podcast, rate and review it all the things that will help grow an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. I'll see you next week.