DENVER — A Denver barber is sharing how he gives back to the community and the challenging journey that got him to where he is today.
Cesar Pulido went from being behind bars to helping his community.
On any given day, it is common to find all the barbers at Mile High Blades in Denver busy cutting hair and having lively conversations.
Among them, you'll find Pulido, who has not always called Denver home.
"[I was] born and raised in LA. I moved to Florida when I was 16. I’ve been here for like two years," he said.
Pulido said he came to Denver to seek a better life for his family after getting mixed up with the wrong crowd growing up.
"By 18, 19, years old, I ended up getting the seven-year sentence to prison drugs and other stuff," Pulido said.
Pulido had a near-death experience that caused him to take a new path in life, getting involved with the community through his art of barbering.
"I started doing it more and more and working with nonprofits that are helping the homeless out," he said.
Giving to the community has now become Pulido's additional full-time job, and it also serves as an act of redemption when he reflects on his past.
"I dealt with drugs a lot, and I feel like there's a lot of people that ended up in the streets from the drugs I provided them. I just want to get back now and do something good after all that bad stuff I was doing," Pulido said.
Along with free haircuts, Pulido gives back through back-to-school supply drives, mentoring youth in the community, and hopefully inspiring those growing up to stay on the right path.
"It's going to be hard. It's going be a difficult path, but, man, it's worth it at the end not to be able to do what you have to do and have to worry about your bag or going to jail or anything like that. It's worth it," Pulido said.
You can connect with Pulido through social media.
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