Dignity, positive energy, hope: Fil-Am cuts hair for the homeless

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Dignity, positive energy, hope: Fil-Am cuts hair for the homeless
'The feeling was so rewarding, I decided to bring the positive energy back to NYC,' says Mark Bustos

MANILA, Philippines – In New York City, a Filipino-American hairstylist is getting positive attention for cutting hair for the homeless.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Mark Bustos, a hairstylist from Three Square Studio, said that he has been offering free haircuts to the needy since 2012. He has been traveling back and forth to the Philippines and decided to bring it with him to the US.

“The feeling was so rewarding, I decided to bring the positive energy back to NYC,” he told Huffington Post via email. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bustos  shared with the website that among those had helped, he would never forget Jemar Banks.

“Jemar Banks –  I’ll never forget the name,” Bustos recalled. “After offering him a haircut and whatever food he wanted to eat, he didn’t have much to say throughout the whole process, until after I showed him what he looked like when I was done … The first thing he said to me was, ‘Do you know anyone that’s hiring?'”

 

 

 

In an interview with Today, he said that cutting people’s hair was something he felt was a way to ease the problems happening around the world.

“There is so much negativity in this world today,” Bustos said. “And I just simply wanted to bring some positive energy and hope into this world.” 

In the same interview, Bustos shared one of his favorite memories of a  kid whom he saw and offered to cut his hair.

“He was 12 years old, and so shy, and rarely made eye contact with anybody. He had no shoes on his feet and looked extremely rough and callused. During his haircut, he looked upset the entire time and didn’t look up once, until the cut was complete. One man in the shop said, ‘Now you look like you’re from NYC!’ He looked up and cracked the most unforgettable smile.” 

He shares his photos of haircutting on his Instagram account using the  hashtag #BeAwesomeToSomebody.  Among the many photos he posted, one of them includes a mother, which he wrote is the best gift he ever gave for Mother’s Day.

 

 

 

Best Mother’s Day gift I ever gave to anyone ! #BeAwesomeToSomebody,” he wrote.

 

 

 

In another photo taken two months ago, he wrote about inspiring others.

 

 

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a Leader.”

 

In another photo, Bustos posted a reaction from Steven, one of the Jamaicans he helped out.

 

“I feel like I’m just starting over again” -Steven, West End Negril,Jamaica. “How does a haircut make YOU feel?”

 

Bustos started his career when he was 14, cutting hair at the garage of his parents. He told Today that while he wished that appearance was not important,  people are treated well if they look clean and styled better.

“I do believe people with a proper, professional haircut receive more respect than those who do not have a proper haircut,” he said. “Having a proper haircut also gives the recipient much more confidence.”

Aside from New York and the Philippines, Bustos also went to Jamaica, Costa Rica and Los Angeles to cut hair for the needy.

While for some this might be unusual, Bustos said that what matters to him is that he can make people feel better with a simple deed. 

“If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction,” Bustos said.  Rappler.com

 

 

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