Huntsville, Ala. (WHNT) – Leo Robinson is the owner of Ivey’s Barbershop in north Huntsville but you just might get more than a haircut while sitting in his chair. You may walk out with some hope.
“To see where I’m at right now, only God could do that,” Robinson said.
On the wall you’ll find the rules reminding customers that if they wouldn’t say it around their mother, don’t say it in here.
“If you don’t do that, you got to go. Because you’ve got clients that need to talk about spiritual things and if people are in here cursing and carrying on, you’ll never be able to talk about God. They don’t mix together,” Robinson explains.
Robinson says sometimes customers come in for more than a haircut. They’re looking for hope. Men who are dealing with addiction and sickness in their lives.
“Most people can’t get off drugs. Now, when I say get off, they can’t stop, but there’s got to be a turning point in your life to make you change,” Robinson said.
Robinson knows all about turning points. He was in desperate need of one decades ago when his life looked much darker. He was addicted to crack and cocaine and lived on the streets. When his mother got sick, he kicked his habit to become her primary caregiver. When his mother passed away, Robinson said he fell right back into his old ways. It wasn’t until he got sober while serving 9 months behind bars that he found his turning point. He walked out a sober man and never looked back.
“I was done with it,” Robinson said.
Robinson got back into working consistently in the barbershop and turned to God. Once his life was back on the right track, Robinson felt the need to help others. So, he became an ordained minister and founded “Second Chance Deliverance and Restoration Ministries.”
It started with a mission of helping others go through drug rehab, but has branched out into other initiatives. Robinson and his partners have been holding winter coat drives for students in the Huntsville and Madison County communities for years. They also feed the homeless several times a year, including at Christmas.
After 20 years of ministry both in the streets and in his barbershop seats, this businessman looks down the road.
“I’m 72 now and kind of figuring out where do I come off the road at, and I don’t know,” Robinson said.
One of his proudest accomplishments came in 2024 when he was named a Redstone Federal Credit Union Community Champion.
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