10-year-old boy mows 50 yards in challenge
Cabot resident Hunter Smith has been cutting grass since he was 6 years old.
He also has a number of relatives and neighbors who need their lawns mowed. This opened the door for Hunter to complete the 50-Yard Challenge, created by the Raising Men Lawn Care Service.
It took more than a year, but Hunter, now 10, mowed 50 lawns for free and earned the highest level of achievement available through the nonprofit.
For him, though, the process was nothing but enjoyable.
“I just like mowing grass,” Hunter said.
Hunter's mother, Sarah Smith, said she noticed the 50-Yard Challenge through a Facebook post. She said Hunter was happy to take on the challenge, and many of their neighbors were pleased as well.
“We have a couple of elderly people who needed their grass mowed,” Smith said. “We found out someone was in the hospital, so he mowed the lawn.”
The Raising Men Lawn Care Service is a nonprofit based in Madison, Alabama, that promotes maturity and character development through its lawn-mowing challenges.Its founder, Rodney Smith Jr., said he started the organization after seeing an elderly man mowing his lawn in his area.“A lot of people are not physically able to do it themselves and cannot afford to pay for someone,” he said. “This way, they can focus on buying other things they need.”Children ages 7 to 17 begin the challenge by sending a photo of themselves holding a sign that says “I accept the 50-Yard Challenge.”If the child finishes 50 yards, Rodney Smith Jr. will make the trip out to congratulate them and deliver a prize. Completing 50 yards nets a child a black T-shirt and baseball cap, and a few other tools they might find useful.He said, however, that the lessons learned are meant to be the ultimate reward.“They learn how to give back to those in need; they learn different character-building attributes,” he said. “The main thing is just giving back.”
Through the challenge, Hunter said he learned a lot about service and the importance of helping others. He had to mow through yards up to an acre in the summer heat, and even though he sometimes used a riding lawn mower, he faced challenges along the way.“The hardest part was on, like the 47th lawn, I lost a tire,” Hunter said. “I had to stop and fix it up, and then finish mowing.”Hunter is also a member of 4-H, and his mom said he is pretty handy with fixing tools and lawn mowers. This challenge gave Hunter, who said he wants to be an engineer in the future, the chance for even more practice.He said the last five minutes of the 50th yard was one of the most satisfying moments of his life.“It just felt so exciting,” he said. “It was just like I was about to be done.”Hunter isn't through with his lawn-mowing days, and he plans to pursue the 100-Yard Challenge. With the brand new lawn mower he received as a reward from the challenge, he is actually looking forward to the next 50.“I'm going to start really soon,” he said.
