LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A back-to-school haircut is a common practice, but it’s not so common to go back to school to get a haircut. That’s the objective of a program from the Sharp Futures Foundation, which is putting barbershops and beauty salons in schools.
To start December, Winburn Middle School became the next recipient of an in-school barbershop. Sharp Futures hopes to spread this model across Kentucky, and around the country.
“A haircut can change how they actually see themselves, but having a barber as a consistent mentor, that can actually change the way they see their future,” said C.J. Carter, founder and executive director of the program.
These barbers are local Lexington mentors from the Porch Barbershop. One of them is Vincent Davis.
“I've been cutting hair for almost 10 years now,” Davis said. “I started doing it just out of high school, just me and my buddies and stuff like that, and it kind of just grew from that.”
Through this in-school program, people like Davis will have the opportunity to catch up with students every two to three weeks.
“I think it gives the kids something different,” Davis added. “You got regular core content and curriculum that they follow, and it's something that they're used to, but this is something more hands on, it's more physical. They can give them some kind of an outlet we can talk.”
“When they're able to see somebody who looks like them who's able to pour into them,” said Carter, “That really goes a long way.”
This is the second in-school barbershop in Lexington, and the fourth one in Kentucky. The program is in place at Tates Creek Middle School, and another one will begin operating at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in two weeks.
With a growing program, Carter said that anyone who would like to support can text the word SHARP to 53555, or visit sharpfutures.org.
