Vernon Jackson has been a barber in Cincinnati for 20 years. For the past 2 years he’s been coming in on his days off and cutting hair for free for kids with special needs. The owner of Noble Barber and Beauty in Coryville gained local fame in 2022 after a report about his Gifted Events for special kids. At the time, Jackson had been coming in on one of his days off – the third Monday of the month- for a year to give haircuts to kids that needed extra time and attention.
Jackson explained that he sets aside this time because, “There were kids that needed a lot more time than I had allotted, and I didn’t wanna be in the position where I stopped accepting those clients. Sometimes kids are afraid to sit in the chair, so if I gotta sit down on the floor with them, stand up and cut their hair, I do it.”
A.J. Lucas, 7, who suffers from autism, ADHD and sensory issues, was part of the Gifted Events. His mother said at the time, “I tried to do it [cut his hair] at home. It was awful. We tried to go to a different place. I would leave crying, claw marks on my arms.”
Jackson touched people’s hearts by saying, “Parent receives a gift by giving their kids a haircut, kid gets a gift by getting a haircut, I get the gift by being a part of the experience.”
TikTok video brings national fame
A lot has happened since those early days. Earlier this year a TikTok video of Jackson giving a haircut to Ellison, a child with Down’s syndrome, went viral getting close to 3 million likes. Jackson and his Gifted Events have also been featured on ABC and CBS news propelling him to national fame.
Fame creates more demand
With national fame comes more requests and more clients. As a result, Jackson has expanded the events to also include the third Wednesday of the month. During these special events, Jackson gives each child a dedicated haircut, a goody bag and parents can know their children are being met with the proper care and consideration.
He also created a GoFundMe page to continue to support and expand the program. To date the page has raised over $83,000 from 2,100 individual donors.
Jackson wrote on the GoFundMe page that he understands it’s more than just a haircut. It’s the feeling of being acknowledged that will bring a bit of happiness to each child and renew the drive in each parent and caregiver to continue being their child’s best advocate.
Click here to support Jackson’s GIFTED events.
