Little hands from a small community are working hard to make a big impression on the hearts of many. Children in Poplar Branch in Currituck County spent their last few days of summer vacation serving other children.

Kids Caring for Kids is a movement sweeping across Poplar Branch and it is quickly spreading to other Currituck County communities. At the helm, is Tricia Phillips, owner of Footprints Family Child Care.

Staff Photo by Justin Falls (ENLARGE)

Haley Caldwell, 8, (center) helps other children from Soul Patrol and Footprints load up bags of goods for children who are in foster care in Chowan County.

She is also a big part of Soul Patrol, the youth group at Sharon United Methodist Church. And Phillips is raising four children of her own.

To say she is very passionate about caring for children is an understatement.

"There are kids out there that don't know how to play. They were never taught to be kids and never taught to play," says Phillips. "That's what made me want to make a difference."

Inspired by a speaker from the Methodist Home for Children, Phillips decided, with all of the blessings she enjoys, she just had to give back to those children who are less fortunate and at the same time, show all of her children how to give and serve.

"I think it teaches them that you don't have to be an adult to make a difference," says Phillips.

Children are usually sent to the Methodist Home for Children by a judge, after getting into too much trouble, especially at school. Many of them do not have a very good home life, and many simply do not know how to behave.

"When they come in, we have to try to mold them back, get them back right for when they go home and in the community," explains Christopher Jordan, Resident Counselor for Methodist Home for Children.

Jordan then relies on the parents to take the reins when the children return home. He encourages parents to enforce the same rules and regulations used at the Methodist Home, whether the children are on a home visit, or back for good. It's a calling he has been living for four years now.

"I just love working with Methodist Home for Children. I love trying to make a difference in kids' lives."

Some of the children also spend time in foster care. And as they move from place to place, they often have very little of their own to carry with them. That is the need Phillips wanted to serve.

So, with that mission on their minds, Phillips and her children quickly spread the word and started collecting special items for the kids at the Methodist Home.

Donations came pouring in and all the young volunteers, from the ages of three to 13, helped gather the items and separate them into journey bags.

"Journey bags are, a bag full of necessities that we take for granted ... plus an item of love," says Phillips.

With kids and donations scattered across two rooms in her house, it was a frenzy of giving, loving and packing.

"We were all around the room, 'I need shampoo. I need conditioner. I need socks. Where's the pencils. This one needs a stuffy," recalls Phillips. "Whether they were two or 10, they knew from the start that all of this was about somebody else, and they just embraced it. They were bringing stuff from their rooms, 'here, give this to somebody that needs something."

And then last week — the big day — the children from the Methodist Home located in Edenton arrived to collect the goods. It was hugs and well wishes all around.

"I just thought it was just so awesome, little kids starting from youngsters learning to give back, because that's what our call is; learning to love one another," says TreNeice Townes, Family Services Specialist for Methodist Home for Children. "It's so important. They are going to see the impact as children, and they are going to continue to do it as adults."

And the children receiving the gifts were also very happy and appreciative, especially when Phillips served milk and cookies.

One of the children from the Methodist Home, whose name we cannot reveal, said the whole experience made him feel like somebody was thinking about him.

To make the journey bags even more personable, Phillips and her children packed the items in pillow cases tied with ribbons. They also included school supplies and attached a Christian Ichthus pin to the top of each one.

"It shows, together we are children of God and we can make a difference and make God smile," says Phillips.

"I am so thankful for ministries like these, that give back and spreading the word on caring and sharing and giving," says Townes. "It's wonderful."

Once they said their good byes, Kids Caring for Kids was just getting started. The children had collected so many donations for the Methodist Home, that they were also able to pack 10 book bags for kids in need at their own school.

"Kids deserve to have better than what they are in ... like, if they're in a bad situation," says 13-year old Emily Wissman. She is the oldest child participating and serves as a role model on a daily basis at Footprints Family Child Care. "It makes me feel really good because I know I am doing something good for other kids, and I hope they will be happy. I hope it makes them have a better life."

Leaving the Phillips home with a wagon load of school supplies, the children rolled three doors down to Sharon United Methodist Church. It was there that they helped serve lunch to school teachers and presented the book bags, asking teachers to give the supplies to children in need.

The teachers were thrilled with the donations and very pleased with the luncheon, which was the church's way of reaching out to educators.

"I think it's extremely important. I just think the more they (teachers) see what goes on in a Christian community, the more they become a part of the Christian community," says Susie Spruill of Sharon United Methodist Church.

And, she says, the children also benefit from the experience.

"I think that if they don't see adults serving and if they don't serve (participate) themselves, then they don't grow up knowing that's what you ought to do," explains Spruill. "It's just been a wonderful day."

And there was still more to come.

After lunch the children returned to the Phillips home where they donned their beach attire, grabbed their plastic palm trees, and headed off to Sentara Nursing Center in Barco.

Hoping to lift spirits and bring joy to the elderly, the children sang and danced to the songs they learned the week before during their Bible School program, Surfing through the Scriptures.

Their bright smiles, fluorescent-colored bucket hats and sweet voices filled the room with cheer. The children also presented the residents with Hawaiian leis. It was a fitting end to a day where children learned how much fun it is to serve others.

If you would like to help Kids Caring for Kids, please contact Tricia Phillips at phillipstribe@mchsi.com.

To find out more about helping the Methodist Home for Children, please visit www.mhfc.org.