Devoted Single Mother Carissa Mendoza Needs Us!

I liked Carissa Mendoza the moment I met her sixteen years ago. She is an expert hairdresser and up until recently, worked at Cuts 2000 in Seekonk, Massachusetts. It was there we met and straightaway, she became my favorite hairdresser. She has cut my hair, my children’s hair, and my husband’s hair for the past sixteen years. Not only is she highly skilled in her craft, but she is fun to talk to and a good listener, always giving me just the haircut that I or my family members were looking for.

In the past sixteen years, I’ve watched her work tirelessly, into the evening and all-day Saturday, sometimes needing to bring her son to work too. If she was stressed out about her life as a single mom, she never let on. The pay for hairdressers at Cuts 2000 is appallingly low. If I'm not mistaken, it's as low as $15 an hour if not lower than that! The hairdressers at Cuts 2000 rely on tips, but I am not sure if everyone who goes to Cuts 2000, realizes that!

If Carissa had money problems in the past sixteen years, I never knew about it. She remained professional and kind and tuned in to my needs as her client. As an outsider looking in, I saw a hardworking professional, who’s was devoted to her son, Giovanni, and from what I could tell, he lacked for nothing.

When Carissa developed debilitating neurological symptoms last year, she kept on working and when those symptoms worsened and she could no longer drive or return to work at Cuts 2000, she scrambled to find other work she could do from home, while, simultaneously pressing her doctors for answers. Because she is a recipient of Medicaid, any answers or help have been very difficult if not impossible to come by. She has waited months for appointments and is not a recipient of any kind rental assistance or disability benefits yet. She is currently seeking employment retraining at RI vocational rehab program and is speaking to a lawyer about disability benefits, but until all of her efforts fall into place, I am asking that all her friends and family and loyal customers, give what they can to help her out. She’s behind on rent and I’m sure she could use some groceries too. Thank you!