Dozens upon dozens of local barbers came together at the Alliant Energy Center on August 25 to give over 800 free haircuts to Madison-area children as they prepare to return to school.
The 16th The annual Back 2 School Free Haircutz event was a community effort to help children K-12th class with free haircuts. At the end of the day, over 800 children were reached as part of the annual drive to prepare young people in the area for the start of school. Drive organizer Jeff “JP” Patterson, owner of JP Hair Design on Madison’s West Side, said it’s about the children’s health and confidence as they head back to school soon.
The goal is to reach 1,000 each year. This year, the number of children served increased from 700 to over 800 as families continued to arrive even after the event ended at 4 p.m.
“The turnout has been really good,” Patterson said. “The kids get free haircuts, they get to look good and feel good before they go back to school, but with the barbers, it’s a community event. We’re all from different businesses all coming together for a common goal. You don’t see that in other cities.”
Parents were impressed with the effort the hairdressers put in. One parent, Michael Antimo, brought his seven-year-old son to help prepare for the school year. While his son admittedly doesn’t get his hair cut all that often, he notes that the confidence kids gain from a fresh haircut at the start of the school year goes a long way.
“It was the right opportunity at the right time,” Antimo said. “It’s a new year and he’s starting to care about his appearance. His hair is curly, but I think a nice haircut would definitely change his look and his mood, his personality. It would definitely give him a confidence boost.”
He notes that the cost of haircuts has skyrocketed since he was a teenager. It’s a rarity to find a kid’s haircut that doesn’t cost between $30 and $50 today, an increase from the $15 to $20 it cost when he was a kid. Initiatives like Back 2 School Free Haircutz are more affordable for families, Antimo said.
Health was another aspect of the free haircuts. Jefferson has long been an advocate for black men’s health. His location on Grand Canyon Drive houses its own clinic in his barbershop.
Tables were set up with information about vaccinations, registries, games and prizes for families.
The Dane County Immunization Coalition has partnered with local health experts to provide children with important vaccines such as chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, HPV, and hepatitis A and B.
Volunteers at the table were generally surprised at how up-to-date most parents are. Sarah Breon, director of health services for the Madison Metropolitan School District and an advisor to SSM Health’s mobile vaccination team, attributes the timeliness of vaccinations to events like Back 2 School Free Haircutz, but notes that there is still work to be done.
“There are many barriers to healthcare in our community. Some children have no contact with their primary care physician. Some children do have one, but due to access issues it takes months to get an appointment. Some children have language barriers and there are transportation barriers for their families,” Breon said.
Breon works to bring access to health care to where families are. At the event, four vaccination stations were set up to administer vaccinations. Families were rewarded with gift cards for shoes to help keep their children’s vaccinations up to date.
