Osceola Rotary Club holds sock drive

After last year’s success, the Osceola Rotary Club is again hosting a community fundraiser that will benefit local students - a sock drive.

“The Rotary Club of Osceola sponsored a successful sock drive last year. Nine hundred pairs of socks were given out at the Clarke Community Schools Back to School event,” Osceola Rotary Club President Teresa Woods said.

The idea last year came about as the Rotary Club looked for a project that involved the community and in the end would help students at both Clarke and Murray Schools. When talking with a teacher, Woods learned that there are students who oftentimes do not have socks when they come to school. Therefore, the goal of the sock drive was to be able to give the schools socks that they could have on hand and distribute throughout the school year as necessary, as well as handing some out before school even started.

“The students enjoyed picking out their free socks [and] the families were very appreciative,” Woods said.

Now through July, drop boxes can be found at First Interstate Bank, American State Bank, First National Bank, Clarke County Hospital and Stephenson Insurance Group for anyone who wishes to donate. Socks need to be new, and can any gender and in any size. Monetary donations are also welcome, and Rotary will use that to purchase additional socks.

The Rotary club is an international club that does work all over the world, including digging wells in third world countries, and providing polio vaccines. The Osceola Rotary Club has 14 members, and are always looking for more who are interested in being involved in the community. Over the years, the Rotary Club has built the bandstand on the courthouse lawn, the concessions stands at the baseball/softball fields, they annually distribute dictionaries to third graders at Clarke and Murray Elementary Schools, and annually recognize the top Clarke senior scholars.

“Our mission is to provide service to the community, and this is one way that we can do that. Our club is always looking for new members to join our group and fresh ideas for community projects,” Woods said.

If interested in finding out more about what Rotary is about, please contact Josh Stephenson, Melanie Boyd or Woods for more information.