A lawyer and a teacher are sprucing up Camden, one free lawn cut at a time
Two friends are spending their summer cutting lawns for free. They say it's about giving back to the city where they have lived and worked.
With the afternoon sun beating down, Keith Benson and his childhood friend Brian Turner meticulously tended to a lawn in Camden’s Parkside neighborhood on a recent Friday.
They took turns pushing a red lawn mower that left neat lines in the lush grass. They edged up the perimeter and pulled weeds from the sidewalk in front of the property on Bradley Street.
A short time later, the pair completed the job, packed up their equipment and sped off to their next assignment in Benson’s burgundy Ford-150 pickup.
They didn’t get paid and they didn’t want any payment, except possibly a cold bottle of water.
Benson, a Camden High history teacher, and Turner, a litigator and personal injury lawyer at a Cherry Hill law firm, are spending the summer working for free. They want to give back to the city where they have lived and worked.
“I’m grateful to be able to do it,” said Benson, 46. “We have to pass that on.”
Benson was looking for something to do when the school year ended in June. He came up with the idea and enlisted Turner to help.
They shared their plans mainly through word of mouth, friends, and social media posts. The response has been overwhelming and the two have been fielding text messages and calls to schedule appointments.
Since June, they have cut nearly 100 lawns, including 14 repeat cuts, Benson said. They hope to get back to every lawn once a week, he said. The free service is limited to Camden, and they use their personal equipment.
“When they text us, we go,” said Turner, 47, of Cinnaminson. “We always show up when we say we will.”
Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen launched a “Camden Strong” campaign several years ago and has encouraged residents to help spruce up the community. That initiative is cleaning up neighborhoods, removing bulk trash, and restoring public spaces.
This summer, too, residents such as Elton Custis have been cleaning up their blocks on Saturday mornings for a half hour to support Camden Strong. Custis compiled a list of more than a dozen mostly elderly neighbors for Benson and Turner for the free lawn cutting. They completed them all, he said.
“I just love the fact that they started this,” Custis said. “They didn’t wait for anybody’s approval. They just got it done. They have been a godsend, that’s for sure.”
As the temperature approached 90 degrees, Benson and Turner made their fourth stop of the day on Bradley Street. They have worked on the hottest days of the summer, stopping only for inclement weather.
They cut a vacant lot adjacent to a home where Ted Davis Jr., the son of the city’s first Black judge, now resides. They also mowed his backyard.
“They’re true to their word, when they say it’s free,“ said Davis, a retired personal trainer and high school coach. ”I offered to pay but they declined."
Davis said he was not surprised by the undertaking. He met both as teenagers when the signed up to train with him at his Smart Jox business.
“I respect them very much,” Davis said. “It’s not a lot of people who are doing what they are doing.”
Earlier that day, Turner, a former assistant Camden city attorney, had stopped in his office at Malamut Law firm and worked for several hours. The firm has supported his community service, he said.
Benson and Turner met in 1996 their sophomore year at Moorestown Friends School. Benson transferred from Cherry Hill schools.
“We didn’t like each other at first,” Benson recalled.
“He hated me,” Turner said.
They became friends that summer when Benson’s father, also named Keith, forced them to sign up for a basketball camp. The elder Benson was unaware of the tension, but believed the young Black men in a predominantly white school should be friends.
Both men graduated from Rutgers-Camden where both played basketball and Turner was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year in 2002.
Both also earned doctorate degrees — Benson in education and Turner in law. Benson lives in Camden and the two conducted basketball clinics at Camden High this summer.
“Now, they are ridiculously fast friends,” the elder Benson said. “Their friendship is beautiful and I love it.”
Whistling and humming as they worked, Benson and Turner quickly finished up the lawn on Bradley Street. There was some friendly bantering about whether the lines in the grass were perfectly straight.
“We do argue all the time,” Benson said.
“Sometimes, he doesn’t listen,” Turner quipped.
Next, the pair moved to South Eighth Street to cut the lawn in front of a rowhouse. They also cut the adjacent properties, including in front of a boarded up property on the corner.
They mowed eight lawns for the day. Both said they hope to inspire others to find ways to help their neighbors and the city.
“We’ll do as many lawns as we can,” Benson said.
Added Turner: “When you can help out, help.”
