Rodney Smith Jr. saw something last year that changed his life: An elderly person cutting grass in the heat of a sweltering Alabama summer.

The sight inspired the 27-year-old Bermuda native and college student to begin cutting lawns for people who needed help, and he soon founded Raising Men Lawn Care Service with the goal of both helping people and enlisting young volunteers whose parents want them to learn about volunteerism. A year later, the project is going strong.