North Belle Vernon barber offers free haircuts for children with autism, Down syndrome
A North Belle Vernon Barber spent five hours cutting hair for free on Sunday.
It's after an idea and a Facebook post to give kids with autism and Down syndrome some fresh cuts.
For Joey Koffler, this experience is brand new.
"This was his first haircut," Joey's mother, Pam, said.
Pam Koffler watched in the corner as her six-year-old got a well-needed trim.
Of course, there were some pre-cut jitters.
"My shoulders were hurting before I came here because I was so stressed because I wasn't aware of what was going to happen," Pam said.
Joey's father had a different role today.
"His father always cut his hair, and it was just never, it always looked the same, you know?" Pam said.
"It didn't turn out great, but I mean, it was out of his eyes," Joe Koffler said.
Joe and Pam Koffler had wanted this for a while.
"She kept wanting to take him somewhere, but we didn't know where to take him," Joe said.
That's because Joey has autism.
"We don't know how people are going to accept him."
"It's really a tornado of emotions, which makes it really difficult."
Lorenzo Altobelli knows this quagmire.
"Imagine trying to shoot darts with a moving bullseye, you know what I mean? It's not easy to hit the target," Altobelli said.
He wanted to help families like Joey's using his shop, LA Fades.
"One night, I had a dream about an autistic haircut event," Altobelli said.
That dream became a Facebook post.
"I was just scrolling one morning, and I saw this autism haircut, free autism haircut. Within the first 12 hours, I booked out almost 20 haircuts."
On Sunday, he used some of the quietest clippers out there.
"They're way more sensitive to the sound, the vibration," Altobelli said.
And with some toys and little gift bags, Altobelli tried to bring some calmness.
"Really, it's just about creating that comfortable, loving environment," Altobelli said.
Altobelli has been a barber for 13 years. This is more than cutting hair for him.
"When you're blessed, you should give back. That's it. It's really simple," Altobelli said.
It elates families like Joey's, too.
"It's a blessing," Koffler said.
"I can't wait until my son goes to school tomorrow so his teacher can see him, 'Oh my goodness, he's got a different haircut,'" Pam Koffler said.
As he leaves with a brand-new hairdo after his brand-new experience.
Altobelli says this is definitely something he's going to be doing going forward as well.
