The ucare foundation, an establishment founded by Gino Barbo and usmooth, has reached a new landmark within the hair industry – raising $250,000 in stylist donations. Funded through salon sales and private donations, ucare is an innovative foundation that exclusively supports stylists who experience unexpected tragedies.
As an industry, hair stylists are often underinsured – a fact Gino witnessed being part of the industry for the past 30 years. He wanted to create something to combat the devastation these hard-working individuals were living through so he created ucare, which gives 2% of all usmooth salon sales back to the community.
To date, this amazing foundation has helped the lives of 54 stylists and their families, a number which continues to grow. “Along with the hardship has also come the complete appreciation of the core goodness of people. The support and love of my family and community has left me brimming with warmth and gratitude.” Said, one ucare recipient. “A reminder that there is so much good out there, and now this unexpected gift. I can’t wait to feel 100% and pay it forward. Thank you and usmooth so much for the kindness. Keep doing what you do, it matters. I will be forever thankful.”
Nominations for the program are privately submitted and chosen based on the severity of the circumstances and imminent need. With a passion to take care of this beautiful industry, even if it’s one stylist at a time, usmooth is a perfect example of how we should all care for each other. To learn more about the cause, to donate, or simply buy a product in hopes of helping out fellow stylists’ in need visit usmooth.com/ucare and follow them on social media @usmoothhair for daily inspiration!