Socktober

Socks are often forgotten garments, especially to those kept safe from winter's fury and utter harshness. They are second thoughts to more fashionable looks for those who have houses to keep them safe year-round. They are often lost in the fray of washers, dryers, and laundry baskets. But for the less fortunate, socks are almost nonexistent.

Socks are the reason why Brad Montague, Kid President creator and owner of Montague Workshop in Henderson, Tennessee, created “Socktober.”

“When I found out that socks are the most needed but least donated item for shelters as they prepare for the cold winter months, I was shocked,” Montague said. “It’s such a simple way to let our neighbors who are homeless know they are not alone.”

Many Kid President fans might recall his inspirational speeches and playful dance moves concerning Socktober. But Montague had the idea in mind long before the character reached national success. This year he plans to make Socktober more personal with a new approach.

This new approach needed legs, so this summer the Montagues enlisted help from top teen coders from theCO’s Dev Catalyst program to create a Socktober website. The team included four Dev Catalyst standouts: Alyssa Gowan, Colten Cronin, Maria McConkey, and Hailey Yodushock. Many high school students spent their summers playing video games and socializing. These kids were coding.

Dev Catalyst Educational Outreach Coordinator, Molly Plyler, praised their maturity and ability to handle the task of building an international +website that millions would visit to make a difference.

“We have hundreds of students that participate in Dev Catalyst each year,” Plyler explained. “When this opportunity came up, [the Montagues] wanted to give the students a chance to participate in this type of passion project where they could code the site. We were looking for students who were the best of the best within our participants. So all four of these students have been on the San Francisco Trip, they’ve all won awards through Dev Catalyst, but they have also shown this wonderful personality and character.