Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom & Leynah Barber III.
Tom & Leynah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Our Story:
My husband, Tom Barber, is a barber by profession, not just by name and no, he did not change his name for the job! 😄 He started cutting hair at 17, graduated from Lu Ross Academy in California in 2014, and earned his barber instructor’s license through the BeVelle Barber Instructor Program in Texas in 2018.
For more than seven years, Tom has taught barbering in traditional classrooms and other settings, including Haynesville Correctional Center in Virginia. That experience deepened his passion for helping people build careers and find second chances. He has also coached youth sports for more than 15 years, beginning at the Boys & Girls Club in 2007. He later created TNT Basketball, a year-round program for families with limited financial resources.
Barbering and youth mentorship became the foundation for Barbers Uniting Communities, or BUCS. Together, Tom and I are building a nonprofit centered on workforce training, youth sports, and community outreach. We’ve begun serving people through grooming outreach, and we’re developing the Barber Success Program with Virginia Works to help people returning from incarceration, people in recovery, youth facing barriers, and other aspiring barbers move from training into paid apprenticeships.
We’re still growing, but our purpose has been clear from the start: to use the skills and relationships we’ve built to open doors for others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, but it has been a meaningful one. BUCS is a two-person team right now, so Tom and I wear a lot of hats. Along with planning programs and serving the community, we handle the paperwork, scheduling, outreach, communications, and day-to-day administration ourselves, all while raising our family.
Funding has been another major challenge. We want participants and the people we serve through outreach to receive services at no cost, but instructors, supplies, transportation, and other essentials still have to be paid for. We’re also developing the Barber Success Program, working through training requirements, and building relationships with barbershops that can offer paid apprenticeships.
We’ve learned to be patient and intentional. We don’t want to promise a program before the resources are in place to deliver it. Every outreach visit, new connection, and piece of progress reminds us why we started and keeps us moving forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My husband, Tom, and I are the founders of Barbers Uniting Communities, also known as BUCS. We’re building this nonprofit to create opportunities for underserved communities. Tom brings years of experience as a barber, instructor, and youth coach. I help develop our programs, coordinate outreach, communicate with partners, and keep the work moving behind the scenes.
Our work focuses on people returning from incarceration, people in recovery, at-risk youth, families living in shelters, and older adults in rehabilitation and recovery facilities. We’ve begun serving people through our Grooming Outreach Program, and we’re developing the Barber Success Program. BUCS serves as a barber apprenticeship intermediary: we provide the related classroom instruction and help aspiring barbers move into paid apprenticeships.
We ask participants who complete the program to come back and give some of their time through our Grooming Outreach Program. That’s how our motto comes to life: “Together We Thrive. Communities Unite. Transforming Lives.”
We are most proud of how we’ve started turning our vision into service. When someone sits in the barber’s chair, we want them to feel cared for and treated with dignity. And when someone is ready for a new direction, we want to help them find a path forward.
What sets BUCS apart is how those opportunities connect. We use barbering to build relationships, open doors, and invite people to give back to the community that supported them. We’re still growing, but every person we serve reminds us why we started.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I (Tom) think we’ll see more people looking for ways to learn a trade while earning a paycheck. Barbering takes practice, so hands-on training and mentorship will always matter. My hope is that more shops will welcome new barbers, teach them well, and give them a real chance to grow.
Lord willing, over the next five to ten years, we’ll grow from a two-person team into a team that can reach more people. I’d love to see more aspiring barbers find their way into the field, especially people who need someone to give them a chance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://barbersunitingcommunities.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bucs4change/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BUCS4Change
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bucs4change/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BUCS4Change
- Other: https://linktr.ee/BUCS4Change
