Double the Impact with Ford Fund Detroit Men of Courage Challenge

Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, has announced two grand prize grant winners of $10,000 each for the Men of Courage Detroit Barbershop Challenge. Shears and Shaves Spa, located on the Avenue of Fashion in Detroit, and Greathouse Barber & Beauty, LLC, located in Southfield, have both been selected as first place winners for having the greatest community participation and most creative partnerships over the three-month competition period. The outreach efforts of both businesses highlight the mission and vision of the Men Of Courage program of educating and reinforcing positive narratives around African American men.

“We could not be more thrilled about the transformational programming and commitment our Detroit barbershops have demonstrated via this challenge,” said Pamela Alexander, director of community development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Through their actions and dedication to their communities they are truly shifting the narrative around African American men.”

The community outreach efforts of Shears and Shaves Spa, under leadership of Dawn Sandford, were aimed at supporting women and children, as well as men including an event focused on gun and fire/carbon monoxide safety in partnership with Detroit Fire Department, Police and Crime Stoppers of Michigan.

Under leadership of Duane Greathouse, Greathouse Barber & Beauty Shop focused its outreach efforts on mentoring youth with events like the Boys to Men Barbershop Talk, in partnership with Ebenezer Baptist Church.

The Men of Courage Barbershop Challenge is an extension of Ford Fund’s Men of Courage program – an initiative aimed at furthering the narrative of positive imagery and messaging around African American men. The challenge centers around the keystone of those communities, the African American barbershop, and encourages shop owners to utilize their foundation to turn conversation into outreach.

The Men of Courage Barbershop Challenge competition continues as it heads to the mid-Atlantic region to announce two finalists from the Baltimore and Prince George County area. Owners have once again been invited to apply by providing proposals that mirror the Men of Courage mission for a chance to win financial support to implement those ideas. Previous first place winners include Goodfellas 253 in Tacoma, WA and our inaugural winner Precision Blendz Barbershop, LLC in Cincinnati, OH.

The Men of Courage program serves as a complimentary grassroots activation to the Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. exhibition, created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Men of Change is made possible through the support of Ford Motor Company Fund and highlights revolutionary men—including Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B. Du Bois and Kendrick Lamar— whose journeys have altered the history and culture of the country. Cincinnati’s Freedom Center was the first stop of the national three-year tour. The exhibition now heads to Baltimore at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History. For more information visit sites.si.edu.

For more information on Ford Motor Company Fund programs that support the African American community, visit www.fordfund.org.