Michael Thomas Jr. and Tommy Mays, owners of Precision Blendz celebrate winning the Men of Courage Cincinnati Barbershop Challenge. Photo provided
By Aundrea Bradford
Ntouch Communications Group
Precision Blendz owners Tommy Mays and Michael Thomas Jr. won the $10,000 grant to enhance client experience during the Men of Courage Cincinnati Barbershop Challenge. The business is at 7500 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati.
An additional $5,000 grant was awarded to Omega Mentoring, in partnership with runner–up Donald Hudson of Razor 1 Kutz, at 7218 Montgomery Road in Silverton, to be used in launching a student tutorial program.
The checks were presented December 6 at the winning Cincinnati barbershops.
Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, presented the grand prize–winner $10,000 based on its implementation of initiatives and activities that educate and reinforce positive narratives around African American men.
The Men of Courage Barbershop Challenge is an extension of Ford’s Men of Courage program – an initiative aimed at furthering the narrative of positive imagery and messaging around African American men. The challenge centers on a keystone in communities, the African American barbershop, and encourages shop owners to utilize their existing foundation for community conversation as a launch pad to turn those ideas into community outreach.
Ford Motor Company’s Men of Courage (MOC) initiative was launched in 2015 as a grassroots program designed to build communities by advancing the narrative of Black men through storytelling, intergenerational forums and community programs. Since its inception, MOC has hosted forums in five cities and reported more than 2,000 of its toolkit downloads across 34 cities throughout the United States.