No one will forget the heartbreaking image of the body of three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, drenched, seemingly asleep, and washed upon a beach in Bodrum, Turkey last September.
The now-iconic image has come to define the height of the Syrian refugee crisis, driving the world to action, in recognizing help was sorely needed. Three months later, roughly 1,000 refugees have been welcomed onto Canadian soil, hundreds of them in BC.
Missy Clarkson, Vancouver stylist and owner of Studio 209, was one Canadian looking to lend a hand.
“My partner and I were trying to figure out how we could help,” she says. “It feels like such a big issue, and nobody knows where to start.”
Administrator of the Vancouver Hairstylist Community Facebook group, Clarkson rallied her troops and suggested the idea of volunteering salon time and space in order to offer haircuts whose proceeds would be donated to the refugee effort.
Eight Vancouver boutique salons responded, with dozens of stylists ready to trim, shear and texture their way through CUTATHON: A multi-salon fundraiser to benefit refugees, taking place Jan. 18 in salons across the city. A minimum donation of $35 (via credit card) is asked per service, but Clarkson says there is no limit to what can be given, nor do you need to get in the chair to donate.
“VHC was created with the intent to foster skill-sharing and co-operation, and this is the first time a group of salons have worked together,” Clarkson says.
“We wanted it to be timely, and hopefully help others find a way to start supporting the refugee effort.”
All proceeds will directly benefit Immigrant Services Society of BC, a not-for-profit organization based in the lower mainland providing settlement services, temporary housing and health care, as well as language instruction and careers services.
“They’re one of the best non-profits in BC for this purpose,” Clarkson explains of her choice.
Ironically, members of the Kurdi family, settled in Port Coquitlam, have found their new life mirrors the one they left behind in Syria where they once worked as barbers. They celebrated the opening of their own salon, Kurdi Hair Design earlier this month.
“It’s such a huge effort,” Clarkson stresses. “And it’s happening right in our own backyard.”
• Visit the CUTATHON Facebook page for more info on how to make an appointment at participating salons or to donate.
