coronavirus

Lawn Tending Business Born in Pandemic Is Example of How to ‘Mow With the Flow'

When COVID-19 limited Gavin Mogan's ability to work as a fitness trainer for people with physical limitations, he started "Mow with the Flow"

NBCUniversal, Inc.

Gavin Mogan was mowing his lawn when he got the idea for a new business.

"I thought, 'Why don't I get a mowing operation going? Staffed by people with Parkinson's or other disabilities, to mow for people with Parkinson's or other disabilities,'" Mogan said. "I love to mow!"

Mogan has Parkinson's disease and worked as a fitness trainer for people with Parkinson's until the pandemic limited close contact with his clients.

"I could use the money," Mogan said. "But just needed something to do and another way to connect."

He started "Mow With the Flow." Mogan said while most people dealing with the pandemic aren't used to adapting so much in their lives, it's familiar territory for people with physical challenges.

"Hey, I'm competing with teenagers and that's hard because their prices are low, so my offer is, 'Hey, but watch us, we're a spectacle,'" Mogan joked about his sometimes-unsure footing and his crew's halted steps.

He said watching them work might be motivation during these hard times for others.

"If they're getting the job done, maybe we can do more than we think we can," he said.

"To me, I walk normal like everybody else," Charles Tillman said.

Tillman has cerebral palsy. Mogan noticed him because of his walk and asked him if he wanted to mow lawns with him and another crew member, Tony Valdez, who also has Parkinson's disease.

"It's a sense of acceptance," Tillman said. "A sense of, like, 'I'm not the only one myself in this.'"

On Wednesday, they mowed the lawn of a disabled Oak Cliff resident at no charge.

"I think the world could be a better place, to be honest," Tillman said. "People just need to take the time to have more compassion."

"Love is a prescription that's not filled enough," Mogan said. "We can all use more of it and we all have more to give."

Mogan is donating some of the profits to a charity in Uganda that helps people who have Parkinson's disease.

To contact Mogan, click here.

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