May 2025 Honoree

Charlene Thomas
Founder & Executive Director, Haircuts For Those In Need, Inc.

Charlene Thomas started Haircuts For Those In Need, Inc. in May 2018, becoming a 501(c)3 in September 2019. Just prior to that, she had been a volunteer with Buffalo’s Good Neighbors, helping feed the unhoused at Fireman’s Park in downtown Buffalo. She realized many people looked disheveled, and wondered if a haircut would help boost their self esteem. Charlene took survey polls on the street to see who would be interested in a free haircut, and then reached out to every barber and stylist she knew, and sent out word on Facebook looking for help.

Haircuts For Those In Need provided its initial free haircuts on the first Sunday of May 2018 outdoors in the park. They would bring chairs, tables, supplies, tents, and even a portable generator. In March 2020, the nonprofit had to shut down, as many businesses did, because of Covid. What started out as a few weeks led to months, and ultimately two years. New rules and regulations enforced by New York made it impossible for Haircuts For Those In Need to follow through on its mission. The nonprofit took a pause, and Charlene focused on her business, Salon de Coquette.

Haircuts For Those In Need restarted in October 2022 with its first event at Project Homeless Connect. Since then, its board has reformed and it’s been hosting fundraisers to cover operational costs plus save for a mobile haircutting trailer. The trailer will be equipped with stations, hydraulic chairs, a sink for washing hair, and best yet, a shower for guests to use.

Charlene holds an associate’s degree in animal management at Niagara County Community College and, from Medaille College, both a bachelor’s degree in biology and an associate’s degree in veterinary technology. She has previously worked at two animal hospitals, and went on to work as a Research Technician Level lll at Buffalo BioLabs and University of Buffalo, working inside labs at Roswell Park researching chemotherapy. For a period of time she helped her now ex-husband run his plumbing business. (All of this while she continued working in salons part-time.)

Charlene has been working in salons since she was 16 years old and now owns Salon de Coquette which she opened in December 2018.

March 2025 Honoree

Lisa Freeman
Executive Director, Compass House

Lisa Freeman is the executive director of Compass House, an emergency shelter and resource center for runaway and homeless youth in Western New York established in 1972. Although she has been executive director since 2011, this year marks Freeman’s 37th year of service at the agency, having previously serving as Compass House’s assistant executive director.

She has an extensive background in non-profit management and oversees a diverse team of case managers, youth counselors, and administrators responsible for serving a combined 500 youth who come to Compass House for services each year.

In addition to her role with Compass House, Freeman is an active member of the NYS Runaway and Homeless Youth Advisory Committee, The Coalition for Homeless Youth, and the Homeless Alliance of WNY.

The mission of Compass House is to provide homeless and runaway youth with safe shelter and services, through a voluntary and mutually agreed‐upon process, in an environment which supports dignity, respect and self‐reliance. Founded in 1972 as a homeless shelter, Compass House now has 19 employees and operates a resource center and a rapid re-housing program. They serve approximately 300 youth at the shelter annually and an additional 300 youth at its resource center.

The emergency shelter meets the basic needs of runaway and homeless youth ages 12-17 through immediate access to crisis counseling, meals and a temporary place to stay. The resource center provides non-residential support to youth ages 14-24 years old that are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Services include case management, instruction on independent living skills, personal care supplies, food, cooking and laundry facilities and individual, group and family counseling.