Kids get free haircuts and more at the Back to School Resource Fair in downtown Reading

Brandon Reyes will have a new hairstyle when he starts kindergarten at Reading’s Tyson-Schoener Elementary School this month.

The 6-year-old was still and silent Friday as he sat in a barber’s chair in the yard at 644 Penn St. He shrugged slightly and chuckled softly only when barber Abdiel Rivera gently dusted the stray cuts from the back of his head with a powder. brush.

Reyes was one of hundreds of students who received free haircuts and school supplies at a back-to-school resource fair hosted by state Rep. Manny Guzman and Reading Mayor Eddie Moran.

Starting in 2022, the event is a way to help the city’s students prepare for the start of school, the mayor said.

“Every year, it seems to grow,” Moran said, “and not only in those who want to benefit, but in those who want to participate.”

The event included the distribution of 1,000 backpacks and other school supplies. There were information booths run by local social service organizations and agencies.

Moran said the intent was to provide more than school supplies.

“I’ve seen a lot of book bag giveaways,” he said. “That’s not what we wanted to do. We wanted to train families who would benefit from getting a haircut they might not be able to afford, learn how to sign up for health insurance or open a savings account. We wanted to make it a real resource fair.”

Moran said he and Guzman come from humble beginnings and know what it means to grow up in a family with financial challenges.

“This event is something that we should have sought out ourselves as children,” the mayor said, “and that helped our parents when we were growing up.”

Looking over the parents and students lined up along Penn Street before the 10 a.m. start of the three-hour event, Moran and Guzman said they were pleased with the turnout.

“I’m actually excited to see the number of people that came out,” Guzman said. “Part of the mayor’s and my mission is just to try to help our families move forward and be able to enter this college school year on the best footing possible.”

The number of people who have consistently attended the resource fair since its first year is an indicator of the need in the city, he said.

“This just goes to show that the people of the city of Reading aren’t looking for a handout, they’re just looking for a hand up,” Guzman said. “And that’s part of the mayor’s and my mission: just to try to help our families progress and be able to enter this college school year on the best footing possible.”

Guzman said he and Moran are grateful for the community’s response.

Business owners, corporations and community members were calling to offer services or donations leading up to the event, the mayor added.

Rivera, owner of Abdiel’s Barber Shop, 3633 Kutztown Road, Muhlenberg Township, was one of the first to offer free services.

He and his staff were among the crew of barbers and others who gave up a morning’s earnings to volunteer their time.

Rivera carefully cut Reyes’ hair into a close-cropped fade, leaving just a bit of longer hair above the boy’s forehead.

A few seats away, 13-year-old Alex Ortega requested a looser, tapered style that would leave more curls on top. His barber, Henry Nunez of Lobos Barbershop, 660 Kenhorst Plaza, Kenhorst, was handy.

Like Ortega, who is about to start eighth grade at Southern Middle School, most teenage boys opted for the popular fades and tapers.

Meanwhile, the girls were awaiting the arrival of a stylist, arranged by Moran at the last minute at the request of a parent who asked, “What about the girls?”

Thanks to the many volunteers, the boys and girls will be ready and looking their best when school opens, Moran said.

“Thanks to everyone who participated,” he said. “Without them, we couldn’t do this.”

Originally published: August 16, 2024 at 3:27 p.m