CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For kids who want to give back to their community, volunteering can be tricky. Most major nonprofits require volunteers to be at least 16 years old. 

It’s a wall Maia Campbell and her siblings hit when they tried to volunteer with their mother after a hurricane. 

The barrier became motivation for Campbell, who decided to launch her own nonprofit that allows children as young as 6 to volunteer with different community service projects.

“If you volunteer your time and are willing to help out, you’re doing something for someone in need no matter what age you are. We wanted kids under 16 to be able to volunteer and help out with the community,” Campbell said.

Kidz That Care partners with different organizations and nonprofits in the city to create kid-friendly service projects. Campbell, her family and volunteers have cleaned Charlotte streets, made and delivered meals to the homeless and freshened up the garden at the Hospitality House of Charlotte. 

The house offers low-cost stays for families with loved ones receiving long-term treatment at the hospital. The group is planting flowers, removing weeds and trimming shrubs to make the space inviting for families staying at the house. 

“When children are born into families that aren’t as privileged, they don’t have a choice to be born into a certain family, to be born without an illness, so those that do have those issues it saddens me because they didn’t have an option to do anything about it,” Campbell said.

Kidz that Care started in 2018 and has since hosted more than 100 service projects. 

For more information on Kidz That Care’s next service project, click here.