Awesome Poughkeepsie grant helps barber connect with local youth, give job skills
The dimly lit hall of the the Exempt Fireman's Association in the city of Poughkeepsie was lined with teenagers and a few parents.
On the conference room table were boxes of brand new hair clippers and trimmers.
"When I say you're going to be hands on in here, you're going to be hands on. You're going to be cutting live heads. There's going to be a real person sitting down, you guys are going to be shaping up, cutting and all that," said Rich Styles, otherwise known as Stylez da Barber.
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Styles has been cutting hair for 30 years. To him, being a barber is a culture. He gets to talk with customers, listen to music and "stay in tune with the streets." And barbers can make some good money, too. For a few years now, he'd been thinking about putting together a program to train young people the art.
In February, Styles received a $1,000 grant through Awesome Poughkeepsie. He and cosmetologist Shaliah Johnson held their first class on barbering two months later. The classes, aimed at teens, teach skills such as haircuts, lineups and basic cosmetology.
Awesome Poughkeepsie, which is part of The Awesome Foundation, is different than other grant-giving organizations in that it also gives microgrants to individuals such as Styles who have an idea they want to make into reality. Members and sponsors of the Poughkeepsie chapter contribute $100 each month and decide together on whom to grant the money.
The current organization is the second iteration of the Awesome Poughkeepsie chapter which started up in August 2022 and has given out a total of $10,000 for projects such as planting daffodil bulbs around the Hudson Gardens Apartments and a performance based on life in Poughkeepsie after George Floyd was killed.
Styles' project stood out to the board because the applicant was already collaborating with the Exempt Fireman's Association for the space, the applicant was immersed in the city, and the students, ages 14 to 18 years old, would walk away with a useful skill set.
"You could really feel (Styles') passion, not only for his craft, but for the youth," said Gina McCann. She and Isis Benitez are the co-founders of Awesome Poughkeepsie. "Even if it isn't a career for them, they may go to college and be able to cut their friend's hair."
How Awesome works
Not everyone on the board of an Awesome chapter is required to contribute to the pool of grant money. Some seats are sponsored by outside donors. This allows for a range of people to sit at the decision-making table and not just those who can afford to so.
Those who sit on the board are community members who have a deep understanding of what types of projects are needed. They review the applications each month and decide on who gets the grant.
"It was very much about there are awesome things happening in Newburgh, let's make it easy for people to access funds to do projects or support ongoing work," said Naomi Hersson-Ringskog, who heads the Newburgh chapter. In February, it funded South Middle School Books & Breakfast event which helps raise student literacy.
Awesome Newburgh will sometimes get four applications for a given month or a dozen applications, though it can be challenging to get the word out. Another difficulty is getting application that impact more than just the person who is applying.
"We evaluate things for their social impact primarily, how many people will be impacted, and then the ability to successfully execute," said McCann. Awesome Poughkeepsie is planning to add a volunteer corp to "add and extra layer of support organizations."
Saba Ali: SAli1@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-451-4518.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Awesome Poughkeepsie grant helps Stylez da Barber connect with youth
