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Courtney Holmes is just a guy with a big heart who “wants to support kids reading.” The Iowa barber offered up  free haircuts in exchange for storytelling during the second-annual Back to School Bash in Comiskey Park last weekend.

The Back to School event was coordinated by Anderson Sainci, in connection with other members of the community, and non-profits. Holmes, a father of two, opened up a mobile haircutting booth, and added reading to the equation after noticing free books being given away by another vendor.

He picked up some books, and before long the tiny customers started lining up.“To be honest, I was amazed,” he said. “The line started with four kids, and next thing I knew it was like 20 kids, all waiting for a haircut and eager to read.”

Children from kindergarten to fifth grade took a seat in Holmes’s chair, and he even helped them out those who got stuck on some words. “The kids would come in, and I would say, ‘Go to the table and get a book you might like, and if you can’t read it, I’ll help you understand and we can read it together.’

Holmes’s boss at the Spark Family Hair Salon is thinking about turning the “haircuts for reading” drive into a monthly event.

Photo: AP