Socks for the Homeless: To James from Xanthe

When I was thinking of what I could do for James, so many things came up! He has such a big heart! One thing, though, that I know is personal to him is he loves fun socks.  So I tried to think of how to make that into a service.  My mom and I looked up a few things and found this information.

"When Socks are More Important than Food to the Homeless"
Socks are among the most needed items at homeless shelters, yet among the least-often donated. According to the Philadelphia-based nonprofit The Joy of Sox, even regular donors of clothing such as coats and pants will usually wear their own socks until they have holes and then throw them away. Because of the shortage, the nation’s homeless population is constantly at risk of serious foot disease and, during winter months, they are in severe danger posed by the cold.

“One homeless man named Kiwi told me socks are more important than food. He said that he knows of many pantries and shelters where he can get food, but that there’s no way he can walk the streets of Toronto without socks.”

Then we found this graphic which was pretty eye opening. We couldn't get it to open up bigger, so hopefully you can see it.  If not, here's the link. https://www.communitywestfoundation.org/blog/infographic-why-socks-are-so-important-to-the-homeless



So we did a sock drive! We asked people to donate money to buy socks, and bought a bunch of different socks, even kids socks! Some were decorative in James' honor (we couldn't find Lakers socks here in Omaha, sorry) and some were just thick and warm.  I also realized that at the beginning of December my mom bought Xoe and I an advent calendar with a sock for each day to wear.  About 3 or 4 days in, I realized I should give my socks to the homeless.  They need it more than I do.  So those are the ones that are rolled up.

We took the big box to the homeless shelter and they were so grateful! I hope these socks can warm some feet this winter. I can't imagine walking around in this cold all day. And thanks James for being such a great uncle. I know you would have loved this service.

Helping More Kids Read: To Max from Spencer

For my service, I know that Max likes to read. My mom and I tried to think of things to do that would help people with reading.  We thought about going to the library to help out or maybe reading to the nursery kids at church. But then we found about the JLO here in Omaha. It's called the Junior League of Omaha who are a volunteer organization who help with lots of charity things.

We looked up "books" on their website and found this "Book Collection" they do called A Book of My Own. When my mom read it to me, it made me sad that there are so many people here in Omaha who don't know how to read and how books can help them.

"Did you know that reading skills are the greatest single predictor of future academic success? Yet, 16% of people in the Omaha area are functionally illiterate. This means they struggle getting through the day because they can’t read well enough to order from a menu, fill out a job application or help their kids with homework. Nationally, on average, children in middle-income neighborhoods have 13 books per child. But for low-income children there is an estimated 1 book for every 300 children. And, according to studies (see below for references), the more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency. (1999. America’s Smallest School: The Family)

A Book of My Own’s goal is to ensure that all children in the Omaha area have a book of their own at home to promote literacy and help break the cycle of poverty. We collect and distribute new and gently-used books to under-served children ages 0-18, then partner with community organizations, schools and churches to distribute the books  to children in need. Since the project’s inception in 2011, we have distributed over 80,000 books in the Omaha community and worked with more than 70 community partners."

So, we thought we could have a book drive and gather books to donate. We contacted the Junior League and a nice woman named Theresa said they would love for us to hold a book drive. We didn't get very many pictures, but we had people from our ward donate, my babysitter donated (she used to be a teacher), we had friends donate, and we went and picked up books from teachers. We even went through our own books and put a box together! 

Here I am delivering the last box of books.  Sorry we didn't get more pictures of the collections.  We got a nice note from Theresa saying how much they loved all the books we donated and they will go to a lot of really good homes!

Thanks Max for inspiring me to help other kids be able to read. 

And if you didn't notice my mom is typing for me while I tell her what to type.

Love Spencer

Samoa and Soccer- To Archer From Scott

When I think of Archer I think of a cute kid that is passionate about Soccer. I know there are so many kids around the world that love soccer but don’t have the resources to play. I had the opportunity to go to Samoa this year to help bring fresh water to the schools. But I decided to go further in honor of archer. I raised money to purchase soccer balls and jerseys. I was able to go to the elementary school and organize teams. In hopes that one day there will be a league. My favorite part was being able to run drills and play with the kids.