Kunti Patel wants to redefine beauty. Instead of just providing cosmetic services to make her clients feel beautiful, she wants to give them the opportunity to make meaningful change.
”My goal is to raise awareness on how blessed we are compared to so many others in the world,” Patel said.
Patel, a senior marketing major, initially launched her business BrowsbyKunti in March 2021 to provide eyebrow threading and eyelash services. However, her interest in philanthropy soon led her to start the #Recovery initiative where once a month Patel provides free eyebrow threading services to Temple University students and donates all of the tips she receives to various non-profits.
Armed with the slogan “recover yourself, recover a cause,” Patel decided to start the initiative because she wanted to contribute to those less fortunate than herself, she said. She realized that while she was not in the position to donate money, she could donate her time.
“I’d been wanting to do philanthropy somehow for a really long time and so I’m glad I just started doing it, and I’m going to keep doing it,” Patel said.
For the month of October, Patel partnered with IGNITE at Temple U, the university’s chapter of the national organization IGNITE which provides support to women who want to pursue politics. They hosted a self-care night on Sept. 30 for people to come get their eyebrows threaded. All of the donations Patel received in October were donated to Haitian Bridge Alliance, a non-profit that raises money to help Haitian immigrants.
Patel was able to raise $156 at the self-care night with IGNITE, the most she’s raised at an event, she said.
Patel has donated more than $760 to various non-profits since she started the #Recovery project, according to the BrowsbyKunti website.
“I wanted it to genuinely be a good cause and I also wanted to raise awareness about a lot of nonprofits.” Patel said.
She has donated to an array of causes, including Women Against Abuse, a non-profit based in Philadelphia that aims to help women escape domestic violence, and Feeding India, a non-profit that aims to make India hunger free.
Patel learned to thread eyebrows while she was living in India from her mother, Nimisha Patel, who also threads eyebrows. She picked it up quickly, and eventually her mother enrolled her in eyebrow threading classes when she was a teenager, she said.
Kunti Patel’s parents still live in Gujarat, India, but are very proud of the hard work she has put into her business, as well as the impact her donations have on the people she helps, Nimisha Patel said.
“We are very very proud of her,” Nimisha Patel said. “I had a dream to be recognized as my daughter’s mother and so that I see I got it. She is my heart and soul.”
Many of Kunti Patel’s regular customers, including Kayla Holmes, a junior health professional major, also contribute to Kunti Patel’s outreach efforts by attending #Recovery events. Holmes was impressed with Patel’s ability to run a business while also contributing to causes she cares about, she said.
“It feels good knowing that I’m not only supporting her, but I’m also participating in giving back to the charities that she donates to,” Holmes said.
Vidur Bahal, a junior finance and statistical science and data analytics major, admires Kunti Patel’s donations to the community.
Bahal went to one of Kunti Patel’s #Recovery events and, while he received the eyebrow services for free, he decided to pay the full amount. Knowing that the money was going towards helping others made him feel good, he said.
“It’s always good to support the community,” Bahal said. “I’m always trying to give back and Kunti giving money to charity is an added benefit. It’s something that will make me continue to go to her year after year as long as I’m within the vicinity.”
Kunti Patel plans to continue threading eyebrows and pursuing philanthropy through the #Recovery project. With classes back in session, she has transitioned to doing an event every week, to making it monthly.
Kunti Patel looks forward to seeing how the #Recovery project impacts others and plans to do it for as long as she can, she said.
”I’m in the position to give back as a business owner,” Kunti Patel said. “I think it’s every business’ responsibility to give back.”
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