Hair salons and barbers in Cambridge want to give back in the best way they can; with haircuts.
On behalf of the Silverheights Neighbourhood Association, the Preston Heights Community Group, and Greenway-Chaplin Community Centre, the Community Cuts program allows children and youth to receive a free hair cut in celebration of the end of the school year.
“This is the second year we are running the program. In 2021, the program ran at the end of summer targeting the back-to-school period,” said Sandra Gammage Community Engagement coordinator at Silverheights Neighbourhood Association.
“This is about giving haircuts to those kids that otherwise might not, or for those families who might find it tricky to afford. So, this year, we thought we would shake it up and do the reverse targeting the end of school, especially for those graduating.”
Gammage said that with some generous funding from Toyota, a partnership began with some local small businesses.
“Whether it is a hair salon or barber shop, the goal is to encourage support for families, and also for the small businesses in our community,” Gammage said.
“In 2021, we partnered with three barber shops and salons. This year, we are utilizing three others, to just spread it around.”
And the program is making its way across the city.
“We are based out of Preston Heights Community Group but we are also doing this it in conjunction with the other neighbourhood associations in Cambridge,”Gammage said.
Families have already registered but, Gammage says, there are more community hair cutting opportunities to come.
“This year, families have let us know where they are located, what neighbourhood association they are closet to, and we have partnered with salons and barber shops in each of those areas. The hope is that they can get a cut at the closet one,” she said.
The program is aimed for children and youth, generally between the ages of 5-18 but, Gammage says, there might be a few requests from some who are younger.
“We had amazing feedback last year. We did hear from some families with three or four children. That cost can really add up and they are so appreciative,” Gammage said.
“In 2021, we gave haircuts to just under 100 kids, and this year, we are over that amount which is so great. We’ve opened up a waitlist and potentially we are hoping to secure some more funds to get those people off the wait list.”
Gammage says that the plan moving forward is to continue with the program with secured funds specifically used for that purpose.
“I think it’s great because this is a service that is often overlooked. There are so many other services out there for families, whether it’s subsidies for recreation programs, or for food, but this is something that is often not budgeted for. For some families, a hair cut is a luxury and a bonus. This program helps support them and also helps support some of our local businesses,” Gammage said.
“So, people can definitely look out for the next one…”
