*Courtney Holmes has found a way to kill two birds with one stone by trading haircuts for stories read by kids who come in to his barbershop for a haircut.
The Telegraph Herald notes the effort, which is part of the second annual Back to School Bash in Comiskey Park, serves as a chance for Holmes to provide an educational opportunity for his young customers.
“I just want to support kids reading,” the Dubuque, Iowa barber told the Herald.
The haircut trade off came as a pleasant surprise to Kathleen Winfrey, who took her nephews Tayshawn and Titan Kirby to get their hair cut by Holmes. According to the Herald, 9-year-old Tayshawn read from “Fats, Oils and Sweets,” by Carol Parenzan Smalley before getting in the barber chair. Among the facts to come out of his reading was the average person eats 150 pounds of sugar each year.
“I love it,” Winfrey shared with the Herald about Holme’s effort. “It’s good for our community,” Winfrey said.
Coordinated by Anderson Sainci, the Back to School Bash resulted from a collaboration between multiple community partners and nonprofit organizations.
“The idea is to connect people to people and people to resources,” Sainci told the Herald, adding, “It helps all of us to reach our full potential.”
In addition to the haircut trade, the bash-included books given away by St. Mark Youth Enrichment, the Herald reports, adding that “more than 100 people learned about free resources and before- and after-school opportunities that help families prepare for the upcoming school year.”
The effort by Holmes has been nothing short of positive in the eyes of Caitlin Daniels, a Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque grade-level reading coordinator who helped struggling readers in the barber chair.
“It’s great. All the kids, they want to have a good haircut to go back to school,” she shared with the Herald. “They’re paying through reading.”
For more about Holmes and the Back to School Bash, click here.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
