Annual Huntsville Braid-A-Thon helps students get ‘fresh’ before school year

HUNTSVILLE, Ala> (WHNT) — The fourth annual Huntsville Braid-A-Thon took place Sunday in an effort to help students freshen up before the school year begins.

CNI Solutions, a Huntsville non-profit, turned the Bob Harrison Wellness and Advocacy Center into a well-oiled hair factory, helping around 700 kids by providing free hair care.

From locs to braids, fades and more, hairstylists and barbers volunteered their time to give back to the community.

“It’s a lot of things about a haircut, it give you a lot of self-esteem, a good haircut can do more than you think for a person,” said Huntsville barber Jayvion Leslie. “They might be sad or you know whatever and that good haircut can change that whole person week or day.”

Hair Queen Beauty helped with the supplies needed for the event and Mohammed Asmar said he remembers getting ready for the start of the school year with fresh hair and clothes.

Asmar said the feeling of a new haircut can give a child what they need to excel.

“That energy is going to take you, in my opinion, the long run and help you accelerate in the ways that you need it,” said Asmar. “It’s definitely when you go to school fresh, feeling good, and when you feeling good, you ready to take on the day.”

The Braid-A-Thon not only gave kids a fresh feeling, but it also helped the wallets of their caregivers.

Asmar said that hair care can cost between $150-200 for braids and that while for boys it may be a little cheaper, it can still be a major financial hardship for families this time of year.

“We just trying to alleviate that little bit of burden from them,” said Asmar. “Honestly, the moms that come to me and tell me ‘Hey man thank you so much, you don’t know how much this helped me out’. A lady with four kids came and said ‘You saved me $500 easily’ so for me that;s the most important thing is to alleviate that from the people who need it the most.”

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