dailypedia
These days, when everything seemed to come with a price tag, someone somewhere is taking a lead & give the thought a different meaning.
The Man of the Hour
Hear for example the inspiring story of another blue-blooded Pinoy abroad, New-Jersey based MARK BUSTOS. At the moment, the guy is doing a pretty good job in raising our country’s banner in some parts of the States. Allowing the light & true color of the Filipinos to shine. He, too, has been restoring our once tainted name to fame, fuels it’s character & boost our fading moral all the more. Thus, it makes the nation’s pride real, our other unique gifts known to the rest of the world, like the selfless cause he’s into.
Mark is a professional hairstylist for the rich and famous in an upscale New York City salon. While his weekdays are spent styling celebrities & high profile patrons, his Sundays goes to the city’s penniless and/or less-privileged. He’s been eyeing for carefree vagabonds who freely roam NY’s busy streets – catching strangers who sleep & eat in the cold, dark and less-travelled pavements.
He chat to his prospects with gusto’, greets them with a friendly spiel, and once under his “spell”, his subjects would found themselves sitting, their dull hair being trimmed – and Presto! Hail to a new self, …a new look.
Plus, a decent meal even proceeds after the haircut session. Yes, you got it right, – ALL FOR FREE. Courtesy of the Pinoy barbers labor of love, commitment & belief to what he do.
His untiring arms are hoping to reach as many homeless, as they could if his little time permits. Forget not the due assistance of of his equally-serving girlfriend on the side. Perhaps, a crazy thing for some, but truly heroic for many.
The Movement
His so-called pro-poor “movement” has earned for himself an international recognition after his intriguing photos of the same were posted in his Instagram account giving him trending likes, raving positive comments and thumbs up from his growing numbers of fans & followers. The popular site Huffington Post is among those who featured his charity works. In an e-mail, he quoted :
“I intentionally cuts hair for the homeless in open spaces so that the public can watch — “not to see me,” but so that others can find inspiration in the good deed, and be kind to those less fortunate as well. “Even a simple smile can go a long way”
He captioned his photos with hashtag #BeAwesomeToSomebody, urging everyone to likewise share their part to their respective communities without expecting reward or royalty in return.
In retrospect
The 30 year old narrates how this fascination began in 2012 during a short trip in his hometown province in the Philippines. There he met a group of less fortunate children & men whose hair grew long because they can’t afford to visit a barbershop. Right on the spot, he volunteered his skills and fulfilled his first mission. The experience was both liberating and noteworthy. He’ll never forget the very day he saw the genuine smile & countenance from those souls he never knew in the first place. He made their day, and so those people made his. Thereafter, he pledged to prolong his service. He had the chance to do the same for the California’s poorest of the poor as well as in Jamaica, and now in the more affluent New York City.
The Fruits
Suffice to say, Mark, “The Barber” is giving these people more than a fresh look out of a clen-cut hairdo. He’s giving them HOPE-LOVE- INSPIRATION-FAITH TO SELF -& FAITH TO GOD. A new outlook in life in counter to their wretched thinking that they are the society’s outcast, forgotten, disgusted & uncared for by their families. Our hero was just an instrument who touched their gloomied lives so that a new person could arise out of them – AND SOMEDAY, they would touch others, too.
This is touching. Am proud of this man.