Barber school, charity team up to give Edmonton kids free haircuts, school supplies

By Evan Kenny

Clippers and combs are helping give Edmonton children a fresh start for the upcoming school year.

The Canada School of Barbering spent Wednesday giving free haircuts to students.

Moe Sweiss, the founder and executive director of the school located downtown at 10018 106 Street, said they "want to give back."

"We want to make sure kids have the same opportunities as us," Sweiss told CTV News Edmonton. "It's a blessing for us."

The school has been offering the Cuts For Kids program for the last three years in partnership with Human Concern International, a humanitarian aid charity. Together, they offer children a free haircut and school supplies in time for the start of classes.

Over the course of Wednesday, the joint effort gave kids 100 free haircuts and 200 backpacks of school supplies.

"Some of these families have four or five kids, and that's going to cost them a lot of money to get backpacks, school supplies and even a haircut," Sweiss said.

"We have to understand that sometimes when we see our lives and what we do ... we have to be grateful for what we have and be able to give back."