Hueytown student completing ‘The 50 Yard Challenge’

Posted: Jun 11, 2020 / 06:24 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 11, 2020 / 08:22 AM CDT

HUEYTOWN, Ala. (WIAT) — A Hueytown high school student is making a difference, one yard at a time. It’s all for The 50 Yard Challenge.

Junior Markus Dodd accepted the challenge, agreeing to mow 50 lawns for free. The goal is to help the elderly, disabled, veterans or anyone who could use some help keeping their lawns maintained. As of Thursday, Markus has mowed 14 of the 50 lawns. He expects the challenge to take about six weeks to complete, and said he loves every opportunity to brighten a person’s day.

“It just makes me feel really good, knowing that they couldn’t do it so I helped them, made them happy,” Dodd said. “Probably changed their day, or week or whatever, just made them happy because they got something done that they couldn’t do.”

Once the challenge is complete, Dodd will receive a new lawn mower, blower, and weed eater. The challenge was started by Rodney Smith Jr. of Huntsville. Smith owns “Raising Men Lawn Care Service.”

Other boys and girls can sign up for the challenge by submitting a picture of them holding a sign saying “I accept the 50 Yard Challenge” to the challenge’s website.

You can contact Markus about mowing a lawn on his Facebook page.