This barber opens his shop on his day off for children with special needs – and all of their haircuts are free

On his day off, Vernon Jackson still goes to work, opening up his Cincinnati barber shop, Noble Barber and Beauty, for VIP clients: children with special needs. 

It's something he's done since 2021. "I was hearing so many horror stories that parents were going through with other barber shops and just the barbers or stylists having no patience with their child," Jackson told CBS News. "So I figured I would compromise by coming in on my day off so there were there would be no other barbers or stylists in the shop and I could give them the full attention that they need."

Jackson said having an empty shop helps some children who are sensitive to new environments and sounds. His goal is to help the children get acclimated to the barber shop so they can feel comfortable coming in when other employees and clients are there. 

And not only does he work on his day off, he does it for free. "When I first started promoting that I was going to come in on my off day to do haircuts for children with different needs, a friend of mine just randomly inboxed me and said, 'Hey Vern, can I sponsor a haircut?'" he said. More and more people asked to donate money for haircuts and Jackson started a GoFundMe.

He calls the free haircuts the "Gifted Program."

"These are parents that would pay any amount of money just for their child to be able to have an experience like any other person. And at the end of it, I can tell them 'It's covered,'" he said. "[They say] 'I got to give you a tip.' I say, "No, trust me, this is part of the Gifted Program, this is a gift from the community, myself — please receive it."

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Jackson said he already has clients that come to him from other cities in Ohio, and he hopes to put the money he raises towards travel, so he can provide free haircuts to children with special needs across the country. 

"I've been getting inboxed from people from Denmark, Australia, London, Uganda, of course all across the country. It's really been a beautiful experience," he said. "This has allowed me to love to my fullest capacity and to see what happens when I do."

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

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