Ex-convict’s unique volunteer initiative gaining attention in Indiana town

Published 3:45 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2016

UTICA, Ind. — John Higgins became well known in Utica, Indiana, for tooling around town on an old lawnmower before a local couple gave him a car they were no longer using.

But the nearly 800 residents of the southern Indiana town on the Ohio River know him equally well for his volunteerism.

“When I was a kid, neighbors were constantly doing for each other,” said Higgins, who has lived in Utica a little over a year. “Nowadays it’s like we’ve gotten away from that.”

Through his Love Thy Neighbor Initiative, Higgins mows the lawns of local residents who struggle at no charge. He and his wife of seven years, Paige, and their 2-year-old son RJ also bring meals weekly to nearly a dozen neighbors in need of a helping hand. The meals include samples from a garden behind their home.

At first, folks didn’t know what to make of the gregarious Higgins arriving at their doorstep and offering to cut their grass for free. But he’s earned their trust over time.

Inspiring others to pay it forward, though, remains his goal.

“You can sit back and say the world’s going to hell in a hand basket,” Higgins told the Jeffersonville, Indiana News and Tribune recently. “OK. What are you doing about it? If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. I’m trying to do something about it.”

Higgins, a self-described “career criminal,” spent more than 20 years in prison. It was during that time, he says, that he was “transformed,” finding Christianity and beginning to serve in a prison chaplaincy position while taking classes to further his education.

He was released from prison in 1992 with a new outlook on life, but medical problems and homelessness persisted. Odd jobs and a self-owned production company sustained him until he and his wife fulfilled a longtime dream and enrolled in college in 2009.

Higgins graduated with a degree in graphic design in 2014. His wife, who also obtained a graphic design degree the same year, found work, but Higgins remained jobless. Struggling with depression, PTSD and a host of other physical ailments, he said he once again called upon God to direct him.

“If you want, you can sit in here and feel sorry for yourself all day long and that’ll be fine,” Higgins says. “But right outside that door, there’s all kinds of work. You won’t get paid money, but you’ll definitely impact some lives.”

Higgins fired up his riding mower, placed his son on his lap and started knocking on doors with his simple offer of help. With continued donations from the community, he hasn’t stopped since.

“The Love Thy Neighbor Initiative is an attempt to take care of needs that often go unmet and forgotten,” Higgins said. “It’s baby steps in a way, but still it’s having some effect. That’s my goal.”

The Jeffersonville, Indiana News and Tribune contributed to this story.