Free back to school haircuts this weekend

WASHINGTON — The Stairway to Stars Dance Studio will host free back to school haircut event this Saturday, organized by the Grace C. Mae Advocate Center.

Grace C. Mae Office Manager Lisa Miller said the organization wanted to provide a conventionally overlooked aspect of back-to-school aid.

“We talked about doing something for kids going back to school, and we had thought about doing school supplies, but a lot of other places were doing that,” she said. “We wanted something else that would help families and help kids feel good about themselves going back to school, so we came up with the idea.”

Though Grace C. Mae started organizing haircut events four years ago, Miller said the group had to stop for the last two years, once for staff changes and once for COVID-19.

Miller said the haircuts would be free of charge, thanks to time donated by volunteer stylists in the area.

While the dance studio is an unconventional venue, Miller said it worked surprisingly well.

“One of my friends (Melissa Westphal) agreed when we did it the first year, and we asked to use some of her space, she’s very good about helping community efforts,” Miller said. “It works out well because she has a large room with lots of outlets.”

The haircuts are available by appointment for students from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 14. Those interested can call 319-653-2930 and ask to speak with Lisa to set up an appointment.