It has become a tradition: every time school starts, Michel Solmont breaks out his scissors and clippers to give the children haircuts.
“I’m the oldest of eight children; my mother has struggled constantly throughout her life, I experienced the hardships of the ”60s and ’70s, and now, at the age of 59, I want to share a little happiness with those who are struggling. “The idea came to me to help families in need because, when I was a child, society helped me a great deal, so today I want to give back to society what it gave me,” explains Michel Solmont.
For the past 14 years, he has been taking time off work around this time of year to carry out this initiative; he has already traveled to every town on the island. He carries out this initiative in partnership with the CCAS in each town.
A lifeline for many families, the charity hair salon is bustling with customers all day long. “At one time, I had about 20 people a day; now it’s more like 40 a day. As I often say, financial insecurity has unfortunately gotten worse.”
For the past two years, each child has been given a small, symbolic pen as a memento of this tournament. The hairdresser involved in the charity initiative calls it a “good luck” pen.
Throughout the year, Michel Solmont also carries out other food-related initiatives with the nonprofit organization D’lo l’avenir, of which he is the president.
Kaylan Fagour
