Kids with special needs or sensory overload don’t often enjoy sitting in a barber’s chair with a scissors snipping around their ears. Vernon Jackson wants to change that.
Jackson, who owns a barber shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, wants to make sure the children in his chair keep a smile. Sometimes that means dancing. Other times, it means belting out a Taylor Swift song.
Okay, so he’s not just a stylist but a showman. There’s more.
Jackson sets aside blocks of time in his schedule to cut hair for kids with special needs. He earmarks specific windows so he can dedicate more time to each child. The cuts are free through community donations. The rewards, he says, are priceless.
“I’ve had parents bursting into tears, had grandparents getting emotional, fathers getting emotional,” said Jackson, who’s done more than 300 free cuts to date. “It always leaves me in awe.”
Isn’t that uplifting? You’d think the kids and parents are the ones in awe, and I’m sure they are. But it shows how acts of kindness and generosity that touch others’ lives can inspire not just the receiver, but the giver, too.
Looking for more inspiration in your faith life? Needing a boost at your church? Hoping to show your kids how to live for Christ? Maturing faith finds a way to serve selflessly—even sacrificially—not for the duty but the delight.
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).
PRAYER: You are so generous, Lord. A giver not a taker. Make me more generous and kind, as I trust in you to fill me up with resources and opportunities. Amen.
EVANGELISM ACTION: Share with your hair stylist. See if they’ll dance for you.
Today’s blog references this article from USA Today.