What's Happening in Cougar Country

As the calendar moves deeper into November, the days get shorter, and the weather continues to get colder as we approach the doorstep of winter.

This past week, the Lake Catholic community capped off two different drives that will help those in need in preparation for those cold Northeast Ohio days and nights.

Lake Catholic students, faculty, and staff put the finishing touches on the month-long Socktober drive, while also donating new and gently used winter clothing for I’m In Ministry’s Cold Weather Clothing Drive.

In the seventh year of participating in Socktober, the school once again collected the most socks it has ever collected – with a grand total of 4,600 pairs of socks, which will be donated to SubZero Mission, Project Hope for the Homeless and Forbes House.

At the same time, President John Morabeto, Director of Mission and Formation Sarah Knapp, and 12 student leaders delivered more than 50 bags of coats, sweaters, hoodies, hats, scarves, gloves, socks, pants, boots, and other cold-weather essentials to I’m In Ministry on Saturday, November 7, during its Clothing Drive Drop Off Event.

Socktober hits record highs again

For the third consecutive year, the Lake Catholic community has donated more pairs of socks and collected more money than it has in the seven-year run of this month-long event.

The 4,600 pairs surpassed last year’s total of 4,109 by 491 pairs. The school collected 3,364 in 2024 and has a seven-year total of 19,668 pairs of socks donated. That’s an average of 2,089 pairs, which isn’t bad considering in the first year (2020) only 600 pairs were collected.

“With all of the donations, we will be able to fill a critical need during the winter season,” Visual Arts Department Chair and Socktober coordinator Kelly Wolf said at the daily Morning Meeting to the entire student body, faculty, and staff. “Our socks will go to SubZero Mission, Project Hope for the Homeless, and Forbes House. These three sites will directly help those in Lake County.”

Wolf personally mentioned four individuals who “have gone above and beyond for Socktober and truly know what it means to be a part of the Lake Catholic community where a spirit of compassion and a willingness to serve are what sets us apart.”

Theology teacher Mary Ridler collected socks and money in her classes to help both the freshmen and juniors during the competition. Junior Mia Valentino donated 100 pairs of socks for her class. Senior Lily Long donated 1,000 pairs, and Mr. Jamie Simonis brought in 300 pairs each week for a total of 1,200 pairs.

For the second year in a row, the class totals will count toward the Cougar Games competition, which will take place fully in the spring.

The winners of the competition, thanks in large part to Simonis’ donations, were the Faculty and Staff with 1,722 pairs. But since they don’t compete in Cougar Games, the first-place points for the competition went to the Seniors with 1,174 total pairs. Second place was the freshmen with 876 pairs, followed by the juniors (544 pairs) and the sophomores (284 pairs).

Cougars continue to support I’m In Ministry

Lake Catholic has a friend in Deacon Lou Primozic, the founder, President, and CEO of I’m In Ministry. And when a friend needs help, Lake Catholic helps.

This past weekend, Morabeto, Knapp, and students loaded a school bus with bags and bags of donations and headed to the Ministry’s Drop Off Event.

“There’s such a need at this time of the year,” Knapp said. “Deacon Lou has an overabundant amount of requests from various centers and locations. So, we offer anything we can do to help.”

Members of the school’s Service Club spread the word around the surrounding neighborhood by distributing door hangers, encouraging families to contribute anything they could. A week later, the club members returned to the neighborhoods to pick up all the donations.

“A huge shout-out to the community,” Knapp said. “We were able to collect several bags just from people in the area.”

I’m In Ministry is a local faith-based charity dedicated to serving and meeting the needs of the underprivileged and less-fortunate community members of Northeast Ohio, according to its website. I’m In Ministry collects, refurbishes, and distributes much-needed items such as bedding, furniture, clothing, and food items donated by the public.

During the Drop Off Event, the students felt the impact of their donations, seeing how what they’re doing affects other people, Knapp said.

“They saw firsthand and heard Deacon Lou’s stories, and I could tell it was starting to hit them,” she said. “They saw the need people have. They began to realize that they’re not just donating clothes but making a difference for people. It was really impactful.”

This past weekend was the third time Lake Catholic has been to I’m In Ministry. Students were there last May, while faculty and staff were there on a service trip in August. Members of this year’s senior class will head there again on the annual Turkey Day (Tuesday, November 24).

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The Lake Catholic Parent Association will be putting on one last drive for the holidays, as the Giving Tree will be up in the Atrium again. The 200 tags, with various donations, will be on the tree by the week of Thanksgiving. All donations will benefit DJ’s Hope 4 Hearts.