Barbershop gives back with free haircuts for kids

Jaca's Barber + Shop gives kids a fresh cut to start the school year

ORLANDO, Fla. – Daniel Jaca is this week's News 6 Getting Results Award winner. 

Jaca, owner of Jaca's Barber + Shop in east Orange County, has sponsored the annual Kutz 4 Kids back to school event for the last 10 years. 

This year, over 2,000 people gathered at the Alafaya Village Shopping Center on August 5 for the family event. It was standing-room-only for much of the day as barbers gave away 400 free haircuts for school-aged kids while volunteers passed out 800 backpacks filled with school supplies. 

"It fills our team and I with incredible satisfaction to be able to give back to the community," Jaca said. "Especially to see the kids faces of happiness when leaving with their new hairstyle, ready to begin with success the new school year."

Jaca said a barbershop is a refection of the community. He said he remembers hearing stories of people struggling from the recession in 2009.   

"People would come in stressed with what little money they had, telling us about the hard situations. That's basically how Kutz 4 Kids started," he said.

Jaca said he too remembers what it's like to struggle. He recalled cutting hair in his family's garage in Puerto Rico as a kid before moving to Orlando and living in a garage to get by.

"The key to success, I always say, is building relationships," he said, reflecting on how his business has grown along with the community. 

Kutz 4 Kids is his way of giving back to the community that has given him so much.

"I have grown with this city. My life is better. I have two businesses and soon we're opening up another," he said. "What better way to open a business than just giving back?"

As Jaca reflected on how the event has grown, he said seeing happy families makes all the work worth while.  

"Every face, every happy face you see, I can see myself. I see a strong community too," he said.


About the Author:

Paul is a Florida native who graduated from the University of Central Florida. As a multimedia journalist, Paul enjoys profiling the people and places that make Central Florida unique.

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