What's Happening in Cougar Country

What started as a simple idea between two individuals six years ago has grown into a powerful community tradition of giving. Each October, Mrs. Kelly Wolf, the Lake Catholic Visual Arts Department Chair, teams up with Ms. Julie Tinik for Socktober—a month-long sock drive to support those experiencing homelessness and hardship. 
What began with a few boxes of donations has now turned into thousands of pairs of socks and countless acts of kindness.

This year’s Socktober drive was another incredible success. The Lake Catholic community alone donated 4,109 pairs of socks. Including donations collected at Angie’s New York Style Pizzeria in Mentor-on-the-Lake (155 pairs) and by Tinik herself (1,214 pairs), 5,478 pairs of socks will be split up and delivered to Project Hope, Sub Zero, Forbes House, WomenSafe Inc., and City Mission.

The six-year total for Wolf and Tinik is an astounding 18,943 pairs of socks—nearly 19,000 steps toward warmth and comfort for those in need.

The top donors from Lake Catholic were Lily Long (’27), John Cunningham (’28), Lucas Boling (’29), Mason Ruiz (’29), and Mr. Jamie Simonis.

Wolf, who organizes Lake Catholic’s contributions, looks forward to the drive each fall—even if the start always brings some nerves.

“Every year that Lake Catholic starts collecting, I wonder if we can beat last year’s total,” she said. “I get a little nervous, and then special things start happening. Students, parents, and faculty start getting involved. Social media works in so many ways of getting the word out about what we are doing.”

And when the socks start coming in, it’s a sight to behold. The total from Lake Catholic this year increased by 745 pairs compared to last October.

“As we started loading the socks, I wondered if I had a big enough truck,” Wolf said. “If we had put all 5,478 socks together, we definitely would have needed a bigger truck. That’s a great problem to have! I’m so thankful to the Lake Catholic community and to Julie Tinik that together we can help so many people.”

This year, a new partner joined the effort: Christina Earl, owner of Angie’s New York Style Pizzeria, who placed a collection bin in her store lobby. Earl, known for her support of local causes like Forbes House and Project Hope, jumped right in to help. “She was more than willing,” Wolf said. “Her community spirit made a huge difference.”

For Tinik, Socktober is about much more than socks.

“It’s absolutely amazing and brings me such great joy, especially this time of year with the cutbacks on a lot of programs,” she said. “I’m unbelievably grateful for those who gave a little back. It will definitely help others with nothing. Random Acts of Kindness still lives.”

Each year, Socktober proves that small acts of kindness—like donating a pair of socks—can come together to make a big difference. As Wolf and Tinik look ahead to another year, their shared goal remains the same: to keep spreading warmth, comfort, and compassion, one pair at a time.

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By The Numbers

Over the last six years, Lake Catholic has collected and donated 15,068 pairs of socks! 

• 600 pairs in 2020
• 2,021 in 2021
• 2,999 in 2022
• 1,975 in 2023
• 3,364 in 2024
• 4,109 in 2025