Little Hometown Soldiers - Brightening their day while you're away

Mission Statement

In heartfelt dedication and appreciation for the men and women that serve in the United States Armed Forces, the mission of the Little Hometown Soldiers is to reach out and encourage youth and family to be strong, proud and courageous, when their parents or loved ones are away serving the country, and to always honor veterans that have put themselves in harm's way to keep our country safe for them to grow into productive citizens.

History

Little Hometown Soldiers is a non-profit youth organization founded in 2003 in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the inception of the Iraq war against terrorism. The organization is comprised of a core group of 20 school children from varying cultural and religious backgrounds that range from 3 - 16 years old. They are dedicated to advocating and bringing comfort to other youth that have a military parent or both parents enlisted in the Iraq war and have been deployed to the war zone. Children can often bring a unique understanding, different than adults, and also help to ease their sense of grief when they have lost a loved one. This dynamic group of youth: sing songs of patriotism; produce dramatic plays; send encouragement through written correspondence; assist in Final Rites Services; make three major television appearances per year, visit children's hospitals; visit Veterans Hospitals and Nursing Centers and Pray Prayers of Peace for children all over the world.

October 29, 2006
By Jon Wilson

A group of children who brighten the lives of veterans is getting another round of national exposure, this time on television.
Monday night, crews are taping a segment for The Naomi Judd Show, featuring the Little Hometown Soldiers, at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center. The youngsters, ages 3 to 16 and from St. Petersburg and Tampa, will entertain and interact with patients at Bay Pines' nursing home and hospice, said Elaine Hopkins, an Army veteran who founded the group in 2003. Judd is a singer, author and TV personality whose daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, have acheived their own fame in the entertainment world. An air date has not yet been set.
The children bring diverse cultural backgrounds to their work. Unabashedly patriotic, they wear berets, boots and camouflage uniforms. Their mission has expanded since it's beginnings. The children have sung at military funerals, marched in parades and added a youthful touch to patriotic events. On July Fourth, they performed at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C.. The youngsters have appeared on CBS's The Early Show and on The Jim Bakker Show in Branson, Mo., Hopkins said.