Gov. Ivey invites ‘Raising Men’ founder to mow Alabama Capitol’s lawn

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - An invite from the governor herself brought Rodney Smith Jr., back to the Capital City on Monday, this time to mow one of the most recognizable lawns in Alabama, the State Capitol.

Smith attended Ivey’s final state of the state address in January as a special guest. It was during her speech that she announced Smith would be returning to the Capitol this spring to mow the lawn.

Smith, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit We Are Raising Men Lawn Service, arrived with what he calls his “American flag lawn mower,” a mower he’s taken across the country collecting signatures.

“I was honored today to have Gov. Kay Ivey sign it,” Smith said. “She’s the first governor to sign it.”

Smith is known nationwide for mowing lawns for free, often for elderly residents, people with disabilities, veterans, and families in need. He says he’s traveled to all 50 states, multiple times, spreading kindness one yard at a time.

WSFA 12 first met Smith in 2018, when he was in Montgomery mowing lawns for free. On Monday, he returned with a new goal: leaving his mark at the Capitol.

“It’s a very beautiful place to mow,” Smith explained, adding that he planned to take his time and make the grounds look their best.

“My goal is to just cut half of it and just go and take my time and make it look nice,” he said.

Smith said his mission started more than a decade ago after he saw an elderly man struggling to mow his own yard.

“I came across an elderly man in 2015, mowing his lawn, looked like he was struggling — but I did what anyone would do,” Smith said. “I pulled over and helped him out.”

Since then, Smith says he’s inspired thousands of kids to join him through the nonprofit’s “50 Yard Challenge,” encouraging young people to complete acts of service in their own communities.

With summer break approaching, Smith said he expects more kids to sign up.

“School is about to get out for the summer,” he said. “So we’re gonna have a lot more kids signing up for the 50 Yard Challenge, and my goal is just to encourage kids to sign up and get more kids to finish.”

So what’s next? Smith says he wants to collect signatures from every governor.

“My goal is to get the remaining 49 governors to sign it, then eventually head to the White House to have the president sign it,” he said.

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