Grassroots Effort Keeps Chickasha Man Mowing

It wasn't your typical turf war.

Three years ago, Rick Stitt saw an ad for an elderly woman who needed her grass cut. He texted her he'd be right over.

"Next thing I know there's this guy getting on there, 'I'll be there in fifteen minutes.' I said I'll be there in ten," Stitt said.

His cutting competition turned out to be Jay Barnes, who also mowed lawns for free in Chickasha, a very kind and generous man who we featured two years ago.

Things were about to get ugly.

"We almost got in a fist fight to cut this lady's grass for free," Stitt said.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that and the two started working together.

When Jay moved to Boston, Rick became the main mower of Chickasha.

He's been mowing lawns for free ever since. This year, he's up to nearly 300.

"You got to do what you can to help your brothers and sisters, that's why I do this" he said.

But this airborne infantry vet found himself grounded when someone stole his mower earlier this month.

But then a cool thing happened, literally.

Bruce McGrew works at 105.5 Kool in Chickasha. A listener told him what happened to Rick.

"We went on the air and asked listeners if they wanted to volunteer or donate some money to get him a new mower, and the response was immediate. We had the money within 24 hours," McGrew said.

Bruce shared the story on Facebook and watched it grow.

To date, it has 159,000 likes and 34,000 comments from all over the world.

"It's the most humbling thing that has probably every happened to me," Stitt said.

To his lawnmower donors, this grasscutter has nothing but gratitude, and a promise.

"I want them to know that I won't let them down, that that wasn't money wasted. I'll make the best of every penny of it, I promise," he said.