BILLINGS - Tumbleweed is a nonprofit organization in Billings that helps homeless teens find food, clothes, and thanks to Kristin Rapacz, even a haircut.
If you were to walk into the Tumbleweed barber shop on any given Wednesday, you would hear the familiar buzz of Kristin Rapacz cutting the hair of anyone who walks through the doors. Rapacz takes a lot of pride in these haircuts, and once you hear the stories of those sitting in the chair, it's easy to understand why.
It's a fairly new career path for Rapacz, who became a barber in 2020 at the age of 58 after deciding that she needed a change from her job working at a Billings church.
“I quit a job I loved in search of a calling," Rapacz said. "What I was hungry for was something hands-on. I mean hands-on, right?”
That decision led her to Tumbleweed, where she took the term "hands-on" to another level by donating her time and cutting hair for free.
“That was always my plan, was to be a volunteer," Rapacz said. "Because there’s a need and I can do something. I can’t solve every problem in the world or in the community, but I can do one simple thing and that makes a difference."
Rapacz has been cutting hair for three years now, and the impact has been bigger than she ever could have imagined.
“It’s exactly what I dreamt about, but even more," Rapacz said. "There’s those moments of profound sadness and struggle. And then there’s also moments of completely normal, like any other barber shop in town."
Except it isn't a typical barber shop. It's the barbershop at Tumbleweed, which Rapacz said they designed specifically for her once she reached out with the idea to donate free haircuts.
One of her regular customers is 19-year-old Hayden Reyes, who said a simple thing like a haircut can significantly impact his life.
“Like she was saying earlier how she’s done it for job interviews, she’s done it for one of mine as well," Reyes said. "I pride myself on my etiquette. I like having my haircut."
Reyes said that sometimes the haircut, and the time spent with Rapacz, can mean a whole lot more.
“Me and her have a very good rapport with each other," Reyes said. "I almost kind of consider this a therapy session most of the time."
And it's that connection to people that Rapacz said makes every cut and every trim worthwhile.
“In the midst of whatever is going on in someone’s life, they can just have a moment that is normal and maybe feel a little bit better about things," Rapacz said.
