LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – The 2024-2025 school year is just around the corner, but rising costs are making it difficult for parents everywhere to provide everything their children need for a successful school year. can be difficult. A local barber wants to take some of the stress away.
“We know that costs are very high right now, so we decided to come together and do something to help everyone,” Vondel said.
Four local barbers came together to provide free school supplies, lunch, and haircuts.
Adrian Vondel, one of the new owners of Mac's Hair Studio, says he's proud to be able to give back to the community where he grew up.
“There's a huge need. We have a lot of people who are less fortunate right now, and we all had the means to help everyone in any way we could,” Vondel said.
Currently, the average cost for a child's haircut is about $20 to $25, which is a significant increase from a few years ago.
George “Smitty” Smith has been cutting hair in southwest Louisiana for years. So when we heard about this way to help children in our community, we jumped at the chance to give kids confidence before the new school year started.
“Many children come from very disadvantaged backgrounds and have difficulty getting haircuts, with many only getting a haircut once a month. “We want to help kids feel confident in themselves and go to school because a lot of kids get teased, so we wanted to give back.” spoke.
Today also marked the grand opening of this historic hair studio in the heart of Lake Charles.
Tonya Griffith, the daughter of Max's original founder, came today to see the place her father cherished so much that he returns to support the community.
“When I see needs being met, it's heartbreaking to know that Mac is still a part of meeting the needs of our community, and that's what my father and I want to know.” I'm so excited because I know that's what I did. On the day of my father's funeral, people came to me to pay for the haircuts that my father had made me work overtime. So we're always African American. I look forward to being a key part of the community and continuing his legacy and growing it,” Griffith said.
Copyright 2024 KPLC. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.