Carolina Cross Connection Empowers Youth Through Service In Dare County

Students and team leaders from Carolina Cross Connection working on a deck project on the Outer Banks. Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks Community Foundation.

With the sun bearing down on a humid Outer Banks morning in July, Salem Sheridan took a short break from construction to tell her story. “I started my work with Carolina Cross Connection as a camper. We worked on projects to help people in need at Camp Carolwood in Lenoir, NC – it was so hot outside, but the work was so fun and rewarding.”

After several more years on their summer staff, and an academic journey that took her to UNC Chapel Hill and NC State for her Master’s in Public Administration, Salem returned to Carolina Cross Connection as the Development Director. “I keep coming back for the same reason, cultivating community.”

Carolina Cross Connection (CCC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth and community members through service. With a mission rooted in Christian values, CCC provides opportunities for individuals to engage in meaningful volunteer work, including building accessibility projects and home repairs.

Students learning how to safely use power tools during their Outer Banks service project with Carolina Cross Connection. Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks Community Foundation.

Carolina Cross Connection recently received a grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation (OBCF) for their “Access in Dare” project, which empowers students from across the state to spend a week of their summer vacation serving neighbors in Dare County by building safe-access projects, such as wheelchair ramps. During their time in Dare County, 116 CCC campers from NC and VA completed 31 construction projects for neighbors in need, repairing homes, building access ramps and porches, and performing yard work for community members recommended by Dare County Social Services.

 “While Carolina Cross Connection is teaching new skills and the significance of community service to their campers, they are also meeting important needs of our neighbors here on the Outer Banks,” said OBCF President and CEO Chris Sawin.

The staff, volunteer leaders, and campers of CCC come from youth ministries throughout North Carolina, and churches as far away as Michigan, Missouri, and Georgia. They share a common bond. “We pick a different scripture every year to inspire us, but the cornerstone of our work is from Matthew 4 where Jesus says, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,’” says Salem. “Every Friday night, we give campers a fish hook pin to symbolize their mission to go home and be fishers of men.”

A volunteer with Carolina Cross Connection hauling off pieces of an old porch on an Outer Banks resident’s home. Photo courtesy of the Outer Banks Community Foundation.

Allyson Hanlon, a fellow team leader, echoes Salem’s sentiments. “We send people out into our communities to serve. I got involved with CCC as a camper during my freshman year of high school. My sister was on staff, and although I initially didn’t want to follow in her footsteps, I eventually did. During a prospective staff meeting, someone said, ‘This is the only time in your life you can do a job like this, where you have the energy and time to do it.’ That resonated with me, and I decided to join.”

A Carolina Cross Connection group from Concord, NC on the finished porch at Ms. Priscilla’s house on the Outer Banks. Pictured from L-R: Jen Hedrick, Tom Hedrick, Ben Edwards, Duncan Laughter, Vincent Masciarelli, and William Bodenheimer. Photo courtesy of Carolina Cross Connection.

Jen Hedrick, a volunteer team leader from Kannapolis, has expanded on CCC’s work by taking the idea to her home congregation. “We also run a local service camp called Backyard once a week in the summer. Inspired by CCC, we do similar projects in our own community. We might not have all the resources, but we’ve managed to make it work using the template CCC provided. This isn’t just a construction camp. It’s about building relationships, spiritual immersion, and bringing everything together. For example, helping someone like Priscilla safely walk down her steps is immensely rewarding. It’s about finding common ground and connecting as human beings.”

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting long shadows over the construction site, Salem reflected on her journey. “While the projects are incredible and they change people’s lives, it’s the relationships we build with our neighbors that I truly cherish. Seeing the joy and relief on someone’s face when they realize they can move safely in their own home – that’s what makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

In the heart of the Outer Banks, Carolina Cross Connection continues to make a difference, one project and one relationship at a time, embodying their mission of service, community, and faith.