COWETA, Okla. — A brave teen, the kindness of strangers, and good old fashion hard work all come together in a sweet story coming out of Coweta.
The story begins with a chance meeting just around the corner from the 14-year-old Davion Goin’s home. You see, Davion is an entrepreneur.
"I just like to work hard," says Davion.
He's mowed lawns for the last two years but ran into a problem this summer. His equipment died, and he had clients waiting.
"I didn't have no mower or weed eater, so I didn't know what I was going to do," Davion said.
That's when he spotted the Burgett Lawn Care team of Josh and Jon hard at work. Gathering up the courage, Davion asked the men for a favor.
"I was like, do you think he would let me use your push mower so I can mow that yard down there? You can watch me," said Davion.
Owner Josh Burgett tells us, "Something inside me said today's your lucky day. So we finished the lawn around the corner, and he started the push mower with one pull, and I was like, this kid knows what he's doing."
"He was like, 'man, you're fast,' and I told him yes, Sir," said Davion.
Impressed by young Davion's can-do attitude and strong work ethic, Josh felt compelled to do more on the drive home that night.
"I said, man; we gotta get this kid some stuff. If somebody wants to work that hard, there should be nothing that stops him. He has the want; he just needs the opportunity," said Josh.
So Josh took to social media to put out a call for help. He wanted to see if anybody had anything they wanted to donate to Davion's lawn business. What happened next would become the talk of the town.
"It kind of blew up on Facebook, and people I went to high school with donated like a push-mower, people donated a weed-eater, some people gave me money to buy him a wagon so he could pull stuff around. Broken Arrow Lawn and Garden gave him a blower.
Others offered their lawns to Davion; even the local snow cone shack threw in free treats. All of this, in just a matter of hours.
"I did not expect any of that to happen," said Josh.
The men surprised Davion with the news and the gear the next day.
"I went outside, and he was like, hey man, I got something for you, and I was like yeah, and I walked outside there's the lawnmower, and I started smiling, and I thanked him for that."
Davion's mom, Amanda Goins, couldn't believe it.
"I've been saying I'm the world's happiest mom. I said thank you to the guys. It takes real men to see that in a kid," said Amanda.
The men had one more surprise.
"They were like he wants to work for us. And I was like, go right ahead. If you're willing to hire him. I'm willing to let him work," said Amanda.
Josh adds, "He earned it. He showed what he can do, and he has the right attitude, and that's what we want."
Now, Davion spends a few days working with Burgett Lawn Care and a few days working for himself.
"It's not about getting rich or making a lot of money. It's about what can we do for other people, and every person has the opportunity to change someone's life," says Josh.
Davion says thanks to Josh, he now dreams of owning a big commercial landscaping business someday.
"To get my own truck, get my own trailer and stuff. That's what I really want to be," says Davion.
All because of a chance meeting one hot summer day and strangers who planted the seeds of kindness to help a kid grow.
"I thank God for them. I'm really thankful," says Davion.
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