While most kids are spending their summer care-free, the Breedloves are hard at work.
Christopher, 10, and Ellie, 7, have spent the past two weeks mowing lawns in their neighborhood, free of charge.
“I wanted to do this because it’s helping people that need help doing their lawn,” Christopher said. “We just go around and seeing who needs help doing their yard.”
The family, who lives in Meadow, helps neighbors with yard work that may not get done.
“I help people that are elderly, people (who are) disabled, and single moms, veterans, and widows,” Christopher listed.
“I pick up all the trash and all the branches, and (Christopher) does the lawn mowing,” Ellie said.
Their mom, Amy Breedlove signed her two oldest up for a program called Raising Men Lawn Care Service, which, according to its website, was created to “promote community awareness for our future.”
“I wanted our summer to be a summer of service,” Amy said, explaining that the kids do get some real “time off” at swim lessons and other activities.
“They’re learning to work hard,” she said. “We have small yards and big yards, and we have weeds up to our knees.”
She mentioned that the kids have learned the value of helping others, responsibility, and accomplishment.
“As they grow older, I want them to be able to see something that needs to be done and step out there and do it,” Amy said, adding that her two younger children, Jackson and Katie, have already taken notice.
“Even though they aren’t able to push the lawn mower, they have gone out and dragged tumbleweeds out to the dumpster, and the alley,” she mentioned. “Everybody wants to help. It’s kind of created this atmosphere that helping is important and that it’s rewarding, and that everybody kind of wants to join in.”
The goal for the Breedloves was 50 yards this summer. After two weeks of mowing, they completed nine. With every 10 yards completed, the kids receive a different color shirt, similar to different belts in karate.
“It’s kind of fun that way,” Amy said. “They’re excited and it’s a good thing.”
While they have not made plans to expand outside of Meadow yet, they said they would be open to the idea of starting a local “Raising Men” chapter if more kids wanted to participate in the area.
“It’s hard work but I like it,” Ellie said.
Check out a photo below, shared by Raising Men Lawn Care Service Huntsville founder Rodney Smith, Junior, of the Breedlove family at work.
