Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, announced two grand prize winners of 10,000 each for the Men of Courage Detroit Barbershop Challenge.
“It’s just a wonderful thing,” said Duane Greathouse, owner of Greathouse Barber & Beauty Shop. “We were able to facilitate a lot of great things with the community, neighboring businesses, and be able to make a great impact on our community outreach.”
The Ford Fund acknowledging Greathouse’s shop in Southfield and Shears and Shaves Spa for being it’s tied-winners. Both Black-owned shops took on the 90-day competition, tasked with who could best activate its space for transformative community outreach and creative community engagement.
“Both barbershops really went above and beyond in meeting the true essence of the challenge,” said Justin Kimpson, Senior Director of the Ford Resource and Engagement Center / National Program Manager, Ford Men of Courage.
“Not only were they changing the narrative about young black men but engaging the community.”
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Under the leadership of Dawn Sanford, owner of Shears and Shaves Spa, her shop organized events around gun and fire safety with young men and engaged Detroiters on the election process in November 2021.
“Fathers hearing their son’s heart for the first time,” said Sanford, as she recounts the powerful connections formed during events at her place of business. “It’s not easy to understand what your children are going through, but when you’re in a safe space where you can take your mask off, figurately, and speak about what they are going through, then they felt comfortable and they shared.”
Greathouse’s efforts were targeted toward youth mentoring and connecting them to resources such as financial wellness.
“By it being Black history month, we’re really happy that we are continuing those great men and women throughout history that has helped propel us to this point to where we can make an accomplishment like this.”
It was a tough time judging which of the two businesses would win the honors as both shops took on the challenge and pulled off extraordinary activations and community engagement sessions. The Ford Fund selected both barbershops as first-place winners.
The Men of Courage Barbershop Challenge is and extension of Ford Fund’s Men of Courage program, an initiative aimed at furthering the narrative of positive imagery and messaging around African American men. The challenge encourages barbershop owners to use their platform to turn conversation into outreach.
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