Helping students feel confident with free haircuts before school starts [Video]

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Most of us can relate to the fact that haircuts make us feel like a new person. One group is doing just that for the youth in our community. The goal of The Empowerment Project is to give young people a fresh start before the school year with a new dew.

The program started when Brian Vaka an outreach specialist for Washoe CountyJuvenile Services went to Biggest Little Cutz to see Albert “Flaco” Avilez for his haircut, both with the hope of doing more in our community. “I met Flaco around 2018. We just had a conversation one day in the barber shop and he mentioned about wanting to do more in the community,” says Vaka.

Flaco had a troubled childhood. He knows what it is like to be homeless, without money, and without support to be successful. Flaco started cutting his hair when he was 13 years old. …