The Honors Council is finishing its “Socktober” campaign, which provides socks to Searcy’s homeless population.
“Socktober” is a service project that runs through the month of October, collecting socks and monetary funds. According to Honors Council member sophomore Anna Gibb, the project’s timeliness is extremely important.
“Socktober mostly gathers socks for the homeless around Searcy.” Gibb said. “Most of them have clothes, and if they don’t, someone’s going to give them clothes, but they may or may not get socks.”
The campaign was created by Kid President through a YouTube video hoping to encourage 1 million people to serve the homeless.
The Mission Machine, a mission based on helping homeless people in Searcy, helps with the project. Honors Council president junior Holly Larsen reached out to the Mission Machine to help with the project.
“Apparently, owning socks is a need that people don’t think about very often,” Larsen said. “So we’ve partnered with the Mission Machine to do a lot of advertising for it and collect socks at the Honors House.”
The Honors College held a “Socktober” fundraising booth in the Student Center on Oct. 20 and 21, which collected 150 pairs of socks, according to Larsen.
“Socktober” is not the only service project in which the Honors Council participates. According to Honors Council member sophomore Kevin DeHoff, the entire council acts as a planning committee that gives input on potential projects and events.
“We’re kind of like a ‘think tank’ that develops and manages events to engage the rest of the Honors College,” DeHoff said. “I don’t have a specific job, per se, but we’re all kind of like a support personnel.”
According to DeHoff, the Honors Council functions as a subset of Honors College members.
“Anyone in the Honors College, if they so desire, can join the Honors Council and have their own voice and planning on what the rest of the college can participate in,” DeHoff said. “Periodically, the Honors College will have events, like movies on the front lawn or game nights.”
The Honors Council provides a flexible outlet for student involvement, according to Larsen.
“It’s like an organization that you don’t have to commit too heavily to, but it’s how I met a bunch of new people,” Larsen said.
Additional projects the Honors Council is involved with include helping the American Red Cross with blood drives and tutoring for local high schools and middle schools every Tuesday and Thursday. According to Larsen, to get involved with the Honors Council, “just start going to meetings at the Honors House on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. and you’re in.”
For more information about the Honors College and the Honors Council, visit www.harding.edu/honors.
