If you were in the Vine neighborhood Friday late afternoon you either heard the music, smelled the fish fry or saw the community in Rob’s Barbershop parking lot on Vine Street. The community came together to encourage kids to read.
You might think haircuts and literacy is a strange pairing but Jen Stroven, the Early Literacy Program Manager at the Great Start Collaborative at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA), who organized the event, says it’s not that odd when you think about it.
“We’re definitely not the first ones to pursue that,” she says. “There’s national barbershop literacy initiatives, but the barbershop is such a communal environment that people go and spend time and build relationships there over time and we want to be where families are and we want to be where people are that may face unique barriers to literacy development and economic wellbeing and all those things.”
Robert DeAnda, owner of Rob’s Barbershop, was happy to take part this year.
“We want to give back,” he says. “I want to help, I think it’s a great cause. I think it’s great what they’re doing.”
Read more from Southwest Michigan's Second Wave.
This story is part of Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative’s coverage of equitable community development. SWMJC is a group of 12 regional organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism. Visit swmichjournalism.com to learn more.