PETERSBURG, Va. — Just 72 hours after CBS 6 aired a story about two young entrepreneurs in Petersburg who have their own lawn care business, the pair are seeing their business increase thanks to community support.
Cousins Kaleeal Lee, 13, and Antoneio Reid, 11, have become local celebrities after their story went viral on social media, generating hundreds of positive comments.
"I was surprised," Antoneio said.
The young business owners are now being recognized as they walk to job sites around the community.
"They recognize us and were asking us if we were the kids that were on the news about cutting grass, if we were the kids from Facebook," Kaleeal said.
Frenchie Burks, Kaleeal's mom, said the public response has been uplifting for the two kids.
"A lot of people have been reaching out, sent CashApps to get them extra equipment, for them to get bottles of water. One guy actually reached out to me this morning, he will bring them a fresh pair of shoes from his Shoe Mobile Unit in a van," Burks said.
The story began when local businessman Jeremy Chekateeny spotted the pair walking to a job. Recognizing their work ethic, he stopped to talk with them and donated to their job fund.
Watch: A stranger saw them 'hustling' in the heat. Now the community is helping these young entrepreneurs thrive
This random act of kindness taught the young men a valuable lesson, according to their family.
"Just the thought someone ain't even from this area, don't even see them everyday, would just stop to do that, means a lot," Burks said.
Josh Burks, Kaleeal's dad, believes this experience will have a lasting impact on the boys.
"They will always remember that nice kindness he did, that is always going to uplift them and show them if they keep on doing positive things, it's going to pay off, when people see that you're doing positive things, you ain't doing nothing wrong," he said.
With business increasing, more work means more pay and the opportunity for expansion.
"I'm very grateful and we, me and Antoneio, can grow our business from them," Kaleeal said.
Antoneio agrees, seeing the benefits of their newfound publicity.
"I think it's good because more people have seen us, and now more people want us to cut their grass," he said.
As their business grows, the pair have set their sights on a lofty goal: not just buying more lawn care equipment, but also purchasing a riding mower.
Due to the ages of children, will we not share their contact information online. However, their families said we could share that the pair can be found working in the areas of W. Washington, Wythe Street, N. Dunlop and N. South Street in Petersburg if you want to hire them to cut your grass.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
