Barber School Accepting Donations for ’50 Free’ Event

GREENVILLE—For the ninth straight year, Pitt Community College barber students will provide free haircuts and school supplies to children in grades K-12 as part of their program’s “50 Free Back-to-School” event.

Scheduled for Aug. 21 at the PCC Barber School at Altitude Academy, “50 Free” will ensure youngsters are looking their best when the new school year begins the following week. The event will start at 9 a.m. and continue until supplies run out.

“I’m super excited for this event, because it shows where our hearts truly live – in the joy of blessing our community through giving,” said Altitude Academy Instructor Rodney Bullock.

The goal, Bullock says, is to provide at least 50 free haircuts, 50 free backpacks, food and a variety of school supplies to children who come out for the event. He said donations of backpacks and school supplies will be accepted through Aug. 19 and can be dropped off at three locations: Altitude Academy (3700 Charles Blvd.), the PCC Greenville Center (3107 S. Memorial Dr.), and the Vernon White Building (Room 118) on PCC’s main campus.

According to Bullock, “50 Free” began on the heels of a national campaign against bullying. He and his students have carried on the tradition the week prior to each new school year ever since.

“The community’s response has been overwhelming,” Bullock said. “Each year, the number of young people served grows larger and larger, and the commitments of donations and supplies continue to grow as well.”

In addition to giving barber school students ‘real-world’ experience with handling many clients at once, Bullock says “50 Free” emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community.

“Serving the community is what the barbering business is founded upon, but this event has a life of its own,” he said. “Ten years seems like a long time, but the reason it has lasted so long is because its needed. And it continues to connect us to our young people in a unique and effective way.”

The PCC Barber School at Altitude Academy introduces students to the field of barbering and the wide scope of styling it encompasses. It’s a 12-month program in which students complete 1,528 hours of barbering theory and application, as required by the N.C. Board of Barber Examiners. Upon successful completion, students must complete a 12-month apprenticeship under the tutelage of an established, registered barber.

For more details on “50 Free” or the PCC Barber School, contact PCC Coordinator for Entrepreneurial Education Gail Nichols at (252) 493-7625 or gpnichols316@my.pittcc.edu.

07/29/2019