FAYETTEVILLE - SOCKTOBER is the Fall service project for St. Ann Catholic School where students in each class bring in new, warm socks for adults and children who need them. The project is done in collaboration with Catholic Charities and other nonprofits.
A friendly competition between classes helped boost the number of donated socks. The prize for the class that accumulated the most pairs was a dress-down day where students could wear clothes other than their uniforms, and the teacher of the winning class could enjoy a half-day off.
The SOCKTOBER project wasn't limited to students, though. Parish members also responded to the church bulletin request to provide their support to the project, and Junior BETA Club members were charged with the responsibility of completing periodic counts of the socks brought in by each class. The final count on October 29 was 3,150 pairs of socks.
“Our school motto is ‘Enter To Learn; Depart to Serve,’” said St. Ann principal, René Corders. “It is important to us to challenge students to do more than just read and talk about the plight of those in need. We are called to make a difference. Involvement in service projects such as this help to shape life-long patterns of doing for others.”
When Dr. John Pendergrass, assistant superintendent of schools for the diocese, heard about the overwhelming success of SOCKTOBER, he put his humor and one-of-a-kind spin on it. "I think it is great what you've done for All 'Soles' Day,” said Pendergrass. “The students have accomplished a tremendous 'feet!'"