Ben Ko, a stylist at The Bespoke Salon in Old Town Scottsdale, is “a cut above” the competition as he volunteers his time and talent at St. Vincent de Paul’s barbershop.
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Ben Ko, a stylist at The Bespoke Salon in Old Town Scottsdale, is “a cut above” the competition as he volunteers his time and talent at St. Vincent de Paul’s barbershop.
The professional hair stylist cuts hair inside the St. Vincent de Paul Resource Center for the homeless on his time off, according to a press release on Mr. Ko, who started his career in Arizona 17 years ago.
He always wanted to help the needy, but never knew where to start, until one Christmas when he gathered his tools and set up shop on a downtown street corner, the release said.
“I plugged into the outlet I had on the bed of my truck and grabbed the first person on the corner,” said Mr. Ko in a prepared statement.
“I asked if he wanted a haircut, he said, ‘Yes.’ Two minutes later there was a line of people.”
After doing many haircuts on the street corner, one of his clients who donated to St. Vincent de Paul recommended that he contact the nonprofit to continue his community service haircutting with its barbershop for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
He has volunteered there for two and a half years, offering makeovers to help provide a new perspective, a personal connection and a boost of self-confidence for salon clientele, even forming relationships with people he would not have otherwise met.
From two minutes to two years later, Mr. Ko continues providing his charitable haircuts for the needy.
“I started doing this because I was looking for an outlet to share my craft and to cut hair for some clients I may not normally see in my shop,” he said.
“I hope they like their hair when I am done.”
Desiring to benefit people’s lives, Mr. Ko, 42, enjoys volunteering to help people look good so they can feel good and leave happy, possibly helping them get their next job with their new do.
Aside from volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul, working at the Scottsdale salon and amazing his more than 35,000 followers on Instagram with his hair styling, Mr. Ko --- who lives with his girlfriend Jenni, two dogs, Lila and Norman “Boomer” and Ellie the cat --- answered questions for the Independent.
• Are you an Arizona native; if not, where are you originally from?
Not a native Arizonian, but have lived here since 2003, and originally from the Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia area.
• How many hours are devoted to volunteer barbering?
I try to make it down to a St. Vincent De Paul location to cut hair a couple times a month between the facility on Watkins and the organized Cut-A-Thon events.
• What got you interested in cutting and styling hair?
It’s actually hard to pinpoint an exact moment in time or a specific event that was the catalyst to a passion for haircutting but if I could cite one anecdotal event, it would be a somewhat disappointing haircut I received around the age of 20 that inspired me to start cutting my own hair.
• Anything else about you that readers would find interesting?
We try to keep things pretty simple these days! Outside of the shop and time spent practicing my craft, we can be found outdoors (hiking/trekking, camping, mountain biking, etc.) or in a yoga studio.
• How long will you continue your charitable work?
To be honest, the idea of stopping has never crossed my mind.
• Describe the most interesting person(s) you’ve come across while volunteering/working?
Off the top of my head I have name a few people. Firstly, my friend Soyica who volunteers his time alongside myself cutting hair in the shop and at the Cut-A-Thons. He’s always an inspiration for me to uphold the standard in our craft (he is a barber and I am a stylist) and to share that inspiration to the younger artists that we oftentimes get the chance to work with.
Speaking of which another person I’ve had the honor of meeting and getting to work with is Ken who is a teacher at the Southwest Leadership Academy. What makes Ken special is his dedication to his students who are learning the barbering trade while in High School. He brings them to the shop so that they can exercise their craft while also helping those in need. Lastly, our friend Jennifer who works at St. Vincent De Paul and helps get us set up with everything we need to do what we do!
• What have you learned while giving back to the community?
The most important lesson I’ve learned while cutting hair at St. Vincent De Paul is how easy it is to do. I’d thought about cutting hair for those in need in our community for quite a while but getting started seemed daunting. I’d gone out on my own a few times setting up on a corner downtown which was productive but being a part of a group that does so much good, on so many levels, allows what I can individually do to be multiplied exponentially.
Starting my media career in 1994, rumor had it that newspapers would not exist much longer. Years later, the newspaper is still around and so is my passion for storytelling and capturing life’s moments for the community.
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