Students style the homeless Lisa Harris Staff Writer Every Saturday, between 200 and 300 homeless individuals find relief from hunger at Jesus Burger, located at 2101 E. Marshall Ave. in Longview. Every third weekend of the month, the trip comes with a free haircut, thanks to KC cosmetology instructor Wesley Brasher and his students.
As buses bring in those living on the highways, near the byways, under bridges and in shelters, the KC students gear up with clippers and combs to hone their skills. Brasher said they usually have between four and nine volunteers from the KC Cosmetology classes on hand to cut hair for between 30 to 50 clients. Despite not having a salon set-up with mirrors and shampoo bowls,
Homelessness in the United States dropped from
610,042
the students have effectively improvised over the past year of cutting hair outside. “The clients tell us they love the haircut, even though they never see a mirror,” said Paige Williams, KC cosmetology student. “They are so grateful and have such appreciation.” First-time participants Savannah Payne, Longview freshman, and Haley Lockhart, Kilgore freshman, See COSMETOLOGY, on Page 3
in 2013, to
564,708
in 2015 according to endhomelessness.org
Lisa Harris / THE FLARE
Cosmetology students train by giving free haircuts to people in the homeless community in Longview at the Jesus Burger event at the former Elks Lodge on Highway 80.
The Flare
Friday, February 24, 2017 Vol. 80 No. 15 Serving Kilgore College since 1936
Golden Gloves
Boxer fights in the ring, influenced by grandmother Living The Dream: Part three of a series
“Everyone has
a
plan
until they get hit... Yeah, I’m a little banged up but at the end of the day that’s what we train for.” GABRIEL WADE & KAITLIN MITCHELL Staff Writers
H
Cheyanne Huntsman / THE FLARE
Tyreick Lewis, Longview freshman and American Honors student, bows up to another battle while brandishing a medal he won at the Golden Gloves tournament hosted at the Longview Exhibit Center on Feb. 2-4 in Longview.
ands sweating from the warmth inside of his gloves, he fidgets his fingers the tiniest bit just to make it more comfortable. The crowd surrounding the ring becomes drowned out and the noise inside of his head becomes more of a flowing noise of the voices of his grandmother and coach while he concentrates on his opponent. The bell dings and everything in the train of thought is lost. Tyreick Lewis, Longview freshman, went head to head in his first match as part of the All Comers Division and won on Feb. 2 at the 77th annual Golden Gloves boxing tournament. It was a tough fight for Lewis; the 18-year-old had only sparred before. He won the first match and got hurt in the second; however, he still medaled as a novice. “Everyone has a plan until they get hit,” Lewis said. “It’s a great feeling when you come out of that situation; having someone try to beat you up and push you down, and you come out of it victorious. Yeah, I’m a little banged up but at the end of the day that’s what we train for.” Lewis trains Monday through Thursday and occasionally on Saturdays before the tournament at the East Texas Boxing Club in Longview. See BOXER, on Page 3