A Claremont barber needs help to raise funds to buy a bus that he wants to convert into a mobile barbershop to continue giving free haircuts to pensioners.
Warren Theunis, 40, runs a project called Groomed For Change, a free haircut service for seniors that he has now extended to disadvantaged youth.
What started off as a token of appreciation for the golden oldies in 2018 quickly became a monthly event for Warren, who says: “I provide free haircuts to the seniors and now have extended it to the youth of the greater Western Cape as part of the 16 Days for Youth Campaign with Heart FM and the Homeless with U-turn Ministries.
“I have also pushed the project with like-minded hairstylists from Scissors on the Move, to provide much-needed relief to the farmers in the Karoo.”
The father of one used to own a barbershop at the Blou Dakke in Strandfontein, where he used to host his monthly fellowship sessions with the elderly.
“They would come to my barbershop in Strandfontein from all over Cape Town,” he says.
“As many as 70 seniors would gather on the last Wednesday and enjoy, not only the service offering but the company and the stories.
“This is how the Groomed for Change project was born.
“As with everything coming to a halt in the pandemic, I had to rethink the model and adapt it for the current climate.
“So I am going to acquire a bus and re-purpose it to serve as a self-contained barbershop on wheels.
“This affords me the ability to maintain and control the health and safety of the environment that I allow the clients/guests into and gives me the agility to serve across a bigger landscape with ease.”
To support Warren, check out his Backabuddy fundraising page, Groomed For Change.
Warren aims to raise R350 000 and would like to be mobile by October.