Free haircuts event draws 500 to Holly Oak Park – Shelby Star

As Coach Keith Rhodes cut students’ hair for free on Saturday, he watched the gymnasium at Holly Oak Park fill up with parents and students.

Saturday’s event marked the sixth year Rhodes has provided free haircuts to students in Cleveland County through his nonprofit, Camp Coach Rhodes. This year’s event also included free hair-styling for girls, fingernail polishing, book bags, school supplies and food.

Over 500 people attended this year’s event, with 320 students signing in to receive book bags and school supplies. Shelby Men of Purpose provided the book bags for the event and cooked food.

“A lot of parents were saying, ‘thank you, thank you, thank you,’” Rhodes said. “It was much needed in our community. A lot of parents needed haircuts and hairstyles for their kids and they needed those supplies as well.”

Representatives from Gardner-Webb University and Cleveland Community College also attended the event to talk to students about continuing their education through college.

With the growth in attendance came a growth in volunteers. Rhodes said the event would not have been possible without the members of the community who came together to make the event bigger than ever.

With the 2016-17 school year now underway, Rhodes and his volunteers are looking ahead to continue that growth. Rhodes held a meeting after the event on Saturday to talk about the future of the event with volunteers, and he encouraged parents throughout the day to come back next year.

“It takes the community,” Rhodes said. “It looks like the community saw a need, came together and we were able to service these kids and these families. I’m appreciative of that.”

In addition to next year’s free haircut event, Camp Coach Rhodes has other projects on the horizon, including some events with the Charlotte Hornets. As always, Rhodes said, the non-profit’s events are based on three pillars: encouragement, education and motivation.

from Hairstylez http://cityhairstyle.xyz/free-haircuts-event-draws-500-to-holly-oak-park-shelby-star/