What's Happening in Cougar Country

Setting a goal is always a measuring stick of your progress.

For the Socktober sock drive held during the month of October, Lake Catholic had a modest goal of collecting 2,000 pairs of socks. It took some time, but eventually, the school blew right past that goal and ended up donating the most socks it ever has over the past five years of participating in this drive.

On Wednesday, November 6, Mrs. Kelly Wolf, the Visual Arts Department Chair and coordinator of the drive, announced the school had collected 3,364 pairs of socks.

According to the Socktober website – happysocktober.com – more than 600,000 people in the United States sleep on the streets each night. “This October, we want … to show that even a small act of love, such as donating a pair of socks, can make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors who are homeless,” the site states.

Wolf knows that what Lake Catholic has been able to collect will make a difference.

“This is the most we’ve ever collected here,” she said. “Eventually the weather is going to start getting colder and people will need these socks. I’m just so grateful for everything our community has been able to do.”

Lake Catholic students, faculty, and staff were motivated throughout the drive by two separate competitions - homerooms all competing against each other weekly, and the four grades competing against each other throughout the entire month.

The monthly competition, for the first time ever, was won by the faculty and staff with 1,438 pairs of socks. The classes followed: sophomores (763 pairs), seniors (466), juniors (300), and freshmen (258). Sixty-one pairs of socks were donated without a name or class designation.

The top donors were: sophomore Lily Long (662 pairs), staff member Mr. Jamie Simonis (500), senior Dakota Mudrakas (310), and junior Matt Florence (261). Each received a Got Socks? t-shirt and a pass for a free school lunch.

Wolf has worked with Ms. Julie Tinik for the past five years collecting socks. Tinik has a passion for helping the homeless and after reading about Socktober through Random Acts of Kindness started her own sock drive in Lake County.  

During the five-year partnership, Tinik and Wolf have have collected 13,465 pairs of socks. Tinik also collects paper products and cleaning supplies to donate to Project Hope.

All socks collected this year will be distributed to Project Hope, Sub Zero, Forbes House, Little Annie's Hope Train, and City Mission.

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Other figures

Over the last five years, Lake Catholic has collected and donated 10,881 pairs of socks! 

• 600 pairs in 2020
• 2,021 in 2021
• 2,999 in 2022
• 1,975 in 2023
• 3,364 in 2024