Hundreds of children from the Hartford area received free haircuts Monday, just in time for the first day of school, thanks to a barber who offers the service each year.
Lebert “Gee” Lester II and his team at “It’s a Gee Thang Barbershop” in the north end of Hartford, have been giving free back-to-school haircuts for 21 years.
“You see them smile and now they’re eager to get to school tomorrow because they want to show off the haircut,” Lester said.
Lester said he keeps providing the free cuts year after year as a way of reinvesting in his community.
“It’s necessary,” he said. “These young men, they need to see something different. They need to see a different side of what we can become. “
Students were excited about the new haircuts.
“I feel like I look good,” 9-year-old Tamar Cochran, a fifth grader, said.
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“I’ll feel good to look fresh in front of my friends when I go to school tomorrow,” 11-year-old Shaun Graham, a sixth grader at Sage Park Middle School, said.
Parents who brought their children to the Wilson Gray YMCA for the cuts say they’re a huge help.
“They’re doing it right before school so they’ll be fresh,” Darlene Cooper, of Hartford, said.
