Thanks to a Role Model He Never Met, This Child Spent His Summer Mowing Lawns for Those in Need

Andre McCoy-Jones happens to love mowing lawns, and when he heard about Raising Men Lawn Care — an organization in which kids cut lawns for those who need help, including the elderly, disabled, and single moms — the 7-year-old definitely wanted to join.

Andre wrote a letter to the organization's founder, Rodney Smith, Jr., asking if he could participate and promised that he would work very hard.

"I told him if he can reach 25 to 30 lawns by the end of Summer, I'll fly down to Kansas, give him different color Raising Men Lawn Care service shirts, do some lawns with him, and I would surprise him with a brand-new mower," Rodney said, according to Frank Somerville's Facebook page.

By the end of the Summer, the boy mowed 50 lawns and, similar to the karate belt system, he received a coveted black shirt for his efforts. After Andre's monumental accomplishment, Rodney also held up his end of the bargain and flew from Alabama to Wichita, KS, in order to work with him and surprise him with the new equipment.

"I want to show our children that by helping others, they too will receive a sense of accomplishment, self-esteem, moral value, and purpose in themselves," Rodney said. "The message is that no matter how young or old, small or tall they are, they are capable of whatever they put their mind to."