project680.org

Article by Debbie Lewis (photo by Melissa Corker)

One of the things I love about working at the California Department of Education is the desire and opportunity of the staff to collectively make a difference in the world around us. I want to thank everyone for their participation in the April sock drive. CDE raised 512 pairs of socks contributing to the Project680 grand total of 2,725 pairs of socks. I also wanted to share with you a snapshot of a conversation I recently had with Charlene Hunt, Resource Teacher and Homeless Liaison, Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD).  

Charlene told me a story about one rainy day in the 2003/04 school year when a kid came in and asked for another pair of socks to keep his feet warm. From the top, his shoes looked to be in good condition, from the bottom however, there were holes in his overly worn soles. This too familiar exchange inspired the first community shoe event which consisted of asking friends, family, and local community groups to donate gift cards for shoes.

Subsequent drives for shoes, socks or underwear have been held yearly. “The need for basic essentials is great among these kids. Physical Education teachers have reported that kids will choose poorer grades over the embarrassment of changing clothes revealing their often ill fitted or ragged undergarments. Items donated keep the kids warm and protected so they can focus on academics rather than discomfort and shame. For kids, receiving essentials like socks, underwear and shoes let’s them know that they are cared for, not just equipped with the basics of education.”

The most encouraging part of our discussion was when she shared how liaisons watch over these kids throughout their educational years. In the course of the last 11 years, the academic performances and attentive engagement of hundreds of students have increased. And each year since the program started every single senior with the exception of 2 kids has graduated high school. Our district liaisons stay connected with the kids until they get to college or a vocational school. Clearly intervention makes a difference to help these impoverished yet gifted and talented kids finish school.

When asked for a quote about project680, the catalyst for our CDE sock drive, Charlene spoke of the founder Ryan Lundquist. “He observed the need, listened with his heart and shared the need with friends who listened with their hearts. They simply spread the word and put it out there.” Thank you for listening with your heart CDE.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Can we get a drum roll please? The final tally for the Project 680 Sock Drive is 2,725 pairs of socks!!! Additionally, we raised $1,838. Thank you everyone for taking a stand for local homeless students in the FCUSD. There will be more specific thank yous coming soon. This has really been a grassroots team effort. Way to go!!! Please spread the news to anyone you know that was involved. Thank you again for all your efforts!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Here is a VERY brief clip of our valiant riders on Saturday’s community bike ride. Thank you everyone!! By the way, this video was uploaded to our Facebook page and then embedded here. We’ve always used YouTube, so this is a bit of a first. If it ends up loading or playing very slowly for you, let us know.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The community bike ride on Saturday went very well. Thank you everyone for coming out to enjoy a ride together and for your obvious generosity and support to make this sock drive a big success. There are many specific thank yous to give and those will trickle in very soon. For now, enjoy a clip of us on Saturday compliments of the KCRA news crew coming out. Great job team!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It’s come down to the last few days of the sock drive and we’re getting ready to celebrate in style as we do a community bike ride THIS Saturday (May 8, 2010). Thank you everyone for your support thus far. We sincerely appreciate involvement from local residents, churches, businesses, City Hall in Rancho Cordova, and organizations.

If you are available for last-minute involvement, let us know right away. We could use a few people to wrap up some loose ends for Saturday’s bike ride, and we could use many people to get last-minute word out to friends, co-workers, family, church members, etc… If you are looking for links to share, you might consider our website page (sock drive page), Facebook event sign-up for bike ride, or our Facebook Fan Page.

Thank so much for your support. Together we ARE making a difference. Nobody is getting paid here. We are all volunteers. We are all advocates for local homeless students. Isn’t it awesome to respond as a community to some of the felt needs of local kids?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A few weeks ago KCRA news anchor Deidre Fitpatrick filmed some of the Project 680 team “Raiding the Sock Aisle” at Target in Rancho Cordova, and the story aired last night. As you’ll see in the video, “Raiding the Sock Aisle” was coined by Erin Attardi. The story turned out really great. I love how it highlights the simplicity of making a difference in the community, our goal of collecting at least 2000 pairs of socks, and how social media can be used to advocate for local homeless kids too. Great job team!!! Watch the video below.

You can read more about the sock drive and community bike ride HERE.

If you are on Twitter, we are using “#bikingforsocks” as our official hashtag for the upcoming sock drive / bike ride. You can follow Project 680 on Twitter at @project680 and become a fan on Facebook too. Don’t forget to follow those in the video too: Erin Attardi at @erinattardi and Geoff Sakala at @rcpost and Deidre Fitzpatrick at @fitztweeter (and then there’s me, Ryan, if you want at @sacappraiser)

By the way, it’s cool to see that the Sacramento Association of Realtors highlighted Erin’s involvement in a story entitled “Sacramento Realtors in the News“.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are elated to have The Golden 1 Credit Union on board as a partner in the Project 680 Sock Drive. Their Information Technology and Loss Prevention department staff are teaming up to collect socks as well as assemble a good number of bike riders for our community ride on May 8, 2010 (they hope to have as many as 20 riders). Isn’t this great news? Thank you Golden 1 for caring about local homeless students!!! Way to go!!! We are so excited to have you on board.

The Golden 1 Credit Union
8945 Cal Center Drive, Sacramento, CA 95826. 
www.golden1.com

If any other local businesses would like to get involved, just let us know. We welcome your creative partnership and ideas.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are pleased to announce a new drop-off location for the Project 680 Sock Drive at Gold River Carpet One Floors & Home at 11367 Pyrites Way- Suite A Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (during business hours). Thank you so much!!!!

Socks can be dropped off at this location or several others. Or you can bring them on the day of our bike ride on May 8, 2010. You can see a full list of drop-off locations HERE. If you’d like to be a drop-off location, or you have a creative way to collect socks (with friends, family, church, the office…), we’d love to hear what you’re thinking.

Let’s keep going everyone!!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We were excited to get together with Deirdre Fitzpatrick of KCRA news this morning and film our “sock raiding” party. A group of locals got together to empty the aisle of our local Target. The story will go live in a few weeks, and we’ll post links when it does. Thanks everyone for coming out and thanks Deirdre for your time. Let’s keep moving forward with the sock drive!!!!

See photos from today HERE and follow Deirdre on Twitter at @fitztweeter

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We’ll be collecting NEW “no show” ankle socks for teens and elementary age students. We will be gathering socks from now through May 8, 2010. Why? Because this is a relevant and practical need among homeless students in the FCUSD. Why “no show” ankle socks? Because that’s what the kids like these days.

As a community team, our goal is to collect at least 2000 pairs of socks so that we can build up a reserve to resource local homeless students with socks through the next year (or longer).

You are invited to join forces with the Project 680 team. We encourage local residents, churches, businesses and organizations to get involved – AND to get creative where possible about collecting socks. All ages are encouraged to participate too. If you are interested in donating socks, you are welcome to drop them off at any location listed HERE or bring them on the day of the community bike ride. Financial donations can also be made if you wish (click here for details).

Together we can make a difference!!! We will make a difference!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I’m so glad you asked. We will be riding on paved trails along the American River. The terrain is mostly flat, with a few very small inclines here and there. There are two rides – a short one and a longer one. On May 8, 2010, a group of riders will go from Hagan Park in Rancho Cordova to River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park – about 20-25 minutes on the bike). This ride is a perfect beginner ride and doable for just about anyone. Riders are encouraged to bring a sack lunch too because there will be a time to rest and enjoy company of others before heading back to Hagan Park. Another group of riders will journey from Hagan Park to Folsom (to Bicycles Plus). This ride is the more experienced ride and will equal about 30 miles round trip.

The American River Trails are an absolutely amazing place to ride a bike. If you have not yet discovered the beauty and wonder of the trails, consider joining us. However, be careful because you might find something you really love!!!

The following was put together by me (Ryan) a year or so ago. Keep in mind these are photos I took of the trails while riding a bike. I thought it would be creative to make a little “video” of images of the parkway. This is what we’re going to be riding on May 8, 2010, and I wanted you to have a good sense in case you’ve never enjoyed the trails before.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Erin Attardi is a local Realtor with Lyon Real Estate and we were elated to read her post on Twitter this morning. Here is what Erin said (along with providing the picture below): “Just raided the sock aisle at Target for @Project680 Sock Drive #RanchoCordova #BikingForSocks”

Thank you Erin for your generosity, and thanks for sharing too. We are excited that homeless students will have new warm socks to put on their feet. Together we can make a difference.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are very excited about our upcoming “Biking for Socks” event on May 8, 2010. We are doing a community bike ride in order to accomplish three things: 1) Bring awareness to the problem of student homelessness in the FCUSD; 2) Collect socks for homeless kids in the FCUSD; and 3) Gather up a few bucks to be able to give to the District Liaison for Homeless Services so she can meet the needs of students on an “as needed” basis – meaning that when the neediest of students come to her, she can simply take care of some of the things they need – whether clothing, deodarant, shoes, study materials, etc….

There will be two bike rides – a short 20 minute ride (one way) and then a more experienced 30 mile ride. Anyone can participate. You can sign up below or on Facebook. Beyond the bike ride, there will be other ways to get involved (in case you are not a bike person). We invite you to consider some of the following. Or let us know an idea you have.

• Become a “drop off” location for socks. We’d like to see about a dozen locations in the community where socks can be collected and/or dropped off between now and the bike ride. We’ll keep a list online as volunteers step forward.
• Get a “Bike Team” togther. Maybe you could gather some friends, co-workers or people at your church to come out to the ride. If you are a business, then wear company shirts or get really creative somehow if you’d like.
• Help make signs and set out signage on the day of the bike ride (so that riders know where to stop).
• Work with Starbucks or another local coffee shop to get coffee provided for the morning of the ride. It would be great to have some bagles or OJ too.
• Volunteer at the sign-in table on the morning of the ride.
• Take photos or video on the day of the ride.
• Be a business sponsor.
• Pass on the word about this community emphasis on Facebook, Twitter, Email, YouTube or however you can. The more people that know, the better.
• Help get some media exposure for the event. Got media contacts?
• Other logistics.
• Maybe you have another creative idea or way to advocate for local homeless students. We are open ears and we’d love to see your creativity in motion.

Please comment on this post, email us, sign up on Facebook or fill in the form below to let us know how you’d like to get involved or if you have any questions or ideas. We’ll update the categories above as people volunteer so that you know what is available. Thank you so much.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!