Kiwanis Cottage

Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc. is dedicated to providing a comprehensive array of residential and community-based services to meet the needs of vulnerable children by addressing their physical, emotional, social, educational and spiritual development.

Carrie Hewitt and Nicki Swafford, are Co-Chairs for the Kiwanis Cottage Project for the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina at Lake Waccamaw, NC.

Cooking with the girls at the Kiwanis Cottage. Carrie and Nicki were introduced to the Kiwanis Cottage Project as a possible volunteer activity with our club.

They immediately saw a great opportunity to use their love of cooking as a connection with the young women in the cottage. Scheduling monthly visits to cook with the girls and share a family style meal, they hoped to create an atmosphere where sharing life lessons would become very natural and fluid, making it something the girls would really enjoy. This approach was an instant hit and got the girls excited about sharing a meal together as a ‘family’ as well as having a place to discuss their days and planning the next meal.

Over the past year, Nicki and Carrie have had other projects with the girls in the cottage including re-decorating drapes, linens and bedroom accessories. Christmas shopping for something special for each girl. Collecting tennis rackets to play tennis with the girls, which was wildly successful.

Ray Cockrell, Vice President/Chief Development Officer at Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina spoke to the Club about how Kiwanis is making a difference. He relayed the great role that Nicki Swafford and Carrie Hewitt have played in the Kiwanis Girls cottage over the past year. These ladies have not only provided assistance with material things the girls needed, but also have taken the time to sit and talk with them about the issues each girl is facing and trying to help all of them understand that there really are loving and understanding people in this world.

Kids Need Kiwanis

Kiwanis Cottage