This Valentine's Day, Four Hair Stylists from Hair Cuttery Gave Participants Looks They Love
It’s 11:50 on Monday morning. Our training room, typically prim and orderly, has been unceremoniously rearranged. The long straight tables are pushed against one wall, chairs have been moved aside, and in their place are pizzas, hair brushes, and four smiling women.
Kay, Zoe, Kaytie and Wendy traveled from the Hair Cuttery to set up shop at Pathways today. They’re here to cut hair, but Kaytie explains that’s not the half of it. “I was recently at a training for a bunch of our stylists, and I asked them to write down why they cut hair. Every single stylist said the same thing-because they like to make people feel beautiful.” Kay nods her head in agreement. “We’re probably more excited than the participants are,” she says.
“Are you ready?” my coworker Ken asks. “We’re ready!” the women next to me respond. Men and women stream into the room, and the hair begins to fly. Some shyly hide their faces and decline photographs, but when I approach Cori and Dacia they’re happy to talk. Cori is here for a Pixi cut. “I got four kids in college,” she tells me. “Trust me-this is a treat for me.” She has extra reason to look cute for the 14th, when she and her husband Hulon are celebrating their six-year anniversary. Dacia's excited too. "I like to get my hair done, but there are so many other things to take care of," she says, referring to the many bills and expenses that are part of living indoors.
This event was organized by our Community Integration Department. They help us keep our focus on the whole person at Pathways. “Housing, Health and Recovery are huge,” says Rob Wetherington, our Manager of Community Integration, “but humans are much more complex than those big three.” Events like this one help our participants build relationships, learn valuable skills, and relax and have fun. Rob puts the goal this way, “We want people to see themselves in a new light-to not be defined by their past, but to author their future."
All in all, the hair cutting was a huge success. We had so much fun hosting Kay, Zoe, Kaytie and Wendy! 20 participants got their hair cut, and all looked beautiful for Valentines Day. If you caught our story last week about two friends acting on an idea to end homelessness for one person, you might be catching a theme. Volunteering your skills, giving up an afternoon, inviting your friends to a rock show-these are simple acts with profound consequences. None of us can solve homelessness alone. But each of us has something to give that can help get us one step closer.
For ideas on steps you can take to help end homelessness, click here or email us here with your ideas for getting involved.
For more uplifing stories from our CID department, you can find last weeks blog here.
About the Author
Becca DeWhitt is an MBA candidate at Temple University. She is passionate about creating a world where everyone's experience and perspective is valued, and sees story-telling as a powerful tool to that end.
