Mom’s punishment backfires, now these teens love mowing neighbors’ lawns for free

A mother says she tried to punish her son by making him mow the lawn, but it backfired.
He loved it so much that he got his brothers and cousin involved, and the four of them are offering free lawn care service to their community all summer.
Posted by It Takes A Village, Together We Stand Strong on Tuesday, July 12, 2016

"That's originally how it started. Punishment. And he loved it!" mom Barbara Wilson told WDRB.

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Travis Durham says he loves helping people.

Posted by It Takes A Village, Together We Stand Strong on Saturday, July 16, 2016

“We’re doing it for the community. People who can’t get out and do it,” said Durham. “And I got my brothers involved because I kind of showed them and told them the good effects.”

They’re all 14 or 15 years old, and are now going door-to-door to offer their help.

“Because they’re young black males, people are a little afraid to open their door,” Wilson said. “They just shut the door, ‘No thank you.’ They don’t even give them a chance to tell them, ‘It’s free. We want to stay out of trouble. We just want to take care of our community.'”
Posted by It Takes A Village, Together We Stand Strong on Saturday, July 16, 2016

Wilson says the boys load their equipment into her car in the morning, and she drops them off in a neighborhood, where they work until lunch. Then, she picks them up again and drops them off to another neighborhood. She picks them up again when she’s off work.

In two months, they’ve mowed countless yards. A stranger offered to teach them how to take care of their equipment so it lasts.

Posted by It Takes A Village, Together We Stand Strong on Monday, July 18, 2016
Posted by It Takes A Village, Together We Stand Strong on Monday, July 18, 2016

In exchange for their service, the teens accept equipment donations. They are also collecting money on a GoFundMe page to raise money for new gear.

If you would like to donate, click here.

To follow their story on social media, click here.

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