Meet Susan Elizabeth Lee of Sock It To Em Sock Campaign in Lone Tree

Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Elizabeth Lee.

Susan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Socks = Love
A chronicle of how two women discovered that Socks = Love.

In 2011, 7:00 pm on Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I was shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and as many of us would have been, I was deep in the thought as to who would be coming to dinner, needing to clean the house and how much food to buy. I was not thinking about the homeless, knew nothing about the homeless and suddenly without warning there appeared written in my head, like a continuing marquee banner, yellow block letters with a red outline: SOCK IT TO EM SOCK CAMPAIGN socks for the homeless. Stunned and flabbergasted I thought, “Really God, you want me to do what? Socks for the homeless? Like I’ve got nothing else to do?!” Pushing my cart as fast as I could, I tried to out shop the message that kept flowing across my mind’s eye: SOCK IT TO EM SOCK CAMPAIGN socks for the homeless.

After shopping, I got into my car and immediately called my close friend Phillis Shimamoto and exclaimed, “You won’t believe what just happened!” I relayed to her about the banner message that had played in my head. I said to her, let’s email a handful of our girlfriends and tell them we’re going to collect new socks now to end of the December and then you and I will take them to shelter the first week in January. That holiday season we collected 575 pair of socks, and then in the first week of January 2012, we delivered the socks to three shelters in downtown Denver. At each shelter, we heard, “We can never have enough socks! Socks are the number one clothing need for those experiencing homelessness and the least donated item!” Phillis and I looked at each other and said, “We have to make this as BIG as we can and Phillis immediately said, “And, we’ll call those who help us, Sock Ambassadors.”

Without really knowing what we were doing, we set out to put new socks on as many feet of men, women, and children in the United States who needed them. Via email and Facebook, we asked friends whether in Denver or in other cities and states to become Sock Ambassadors. Our first out of state Sock Ambassador was Regina Schroeder, in Manhattan KS who would prove over the next seven years to be an amazing ambassador of the cause, eventually providing thousands and thousands of socks to those in need, Sock Drawers in every school in their city and holding the first Sock It To Em Sock Hop event.

Sock Ambassadors are those individuals of any age who collect new socks whenever they want, from whoever they want, for as long as they want. Might be a one-time event or as often as they like. Phillis and I then would pick up the socks from those in Denver Metro, count them, sort them and take them to shelters and services who serve those citizens who are experiencing homelessness. For those out of state, the Sock Ambassadors would collect socks, sort and bag them and contact shelters in their area to deliver them. To our shock, in 2012, we collected 10,000 pair of socks and the magic kept happening from there. Sock Ambassadors told other friends to get involved and shelters, services, and agencies kept reaching out. In 2012 we got several churches to declare the first Sunday in December as No Socks Sunday, a day for congregants to go to church without socks and to then bring new socks for the homeless that Sunday and the remainder of December. Since 2014 Mayor Hannock of Denver has proclaimed the second Wednesday in December as Sock It To Em Work Day, as have the mayors of several cities surrounding Denver and the mayor of Manhattan KS. In 2015 the Sock It To Em Sock Campaign after having delivered 78,264 pair of socks became an official 501c3 Public Charity and the race was on.

Now, in 2019, we have had Sock Ambassadors in 41 states, our youngest is 4 years old and our most senior is in her late 70’s. We have had Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Doctor’s offices, Real Estate Agencies, Athletic Clubs, Churches and multitude of others who have become Sock Ambassadors. Their task is simple: put the word out, that they’re collecting socks, put out a cardboard box, we’ll provide a sign for it or may find themselves like kids in school decorating the boxes, send flyers to friends and co-workers. We’re simply engaging others to get the word out that our fellow citizens are going throughout their day in need of the most basic foundation of a pair of socks to keep their feet healthy, warm and dry. After they collect they get the socks to us, we count them, sort them, bag them and then get them out to shelters, services, and agencies. In Denver Metro alone, we have regularly provided new socks to 129 facilities or events.

The Sock It To Em Sock Campaign has had the Denver Police and Denver Sheriffs “Sock It Out” two years in a row to see who could collect the most socks with the Denver Police winning twice. We have had Socks and Sandwich events where people in offices, at events, in churches bring supplies for PB&J sandwiches and socks. People of all ages make PB&J, and then take the sandwiches and socks out to those in their city who are in need. This past December Mayor Ron Rakowsky of Greenwood Village put out a challenge to all the cities of Denver Metro South to “Sock It Out” and see which City Halls could obtain the newest socks during the month of December. Lone Tree, Centennial, Littleton, and Englewood all said, “Game on, let’s do it!” Greenwood Village won by 62 pair and they’re all ready to do it again December 2019. Since 2014 Mayor Clint Folsom has had his city involved now regularly holding a “Stocking Run 5K” in December to collect new socks for those in need.

Last year, knowing socks are important to everyone we began putting Sock Drawers into Title 1 schools. Title 1 schools are schools where 70% of the children’s families qualify in low income. Those children need socks and to date, we have 30 Sock Drawers in Denver Metro and are preparing 30 more to go into schools this Fall.

What began in 2011, as a simple message in my head has grown into the reality that for the person who is experiencing homelessness Socks = Love. People in need don’t have a sock drawer. For them, the pride of putting on a pair of socks is not the norm. Going without socks or having to wear worn out socks leads to a multitude of foot conditions some of which are: athletes’ foot, calluses, persistent fungus, blisters, chafed skin, cracked skin, infections and worst of all trench foot a very debilitating condition. Socks not only are the #1 clothing need of those who are experiencing homelessness, but the #1 reason a person who is homeless goes to the ER is also afoot ailment and the #1 way to prevent that from happening is having clean dry socks to wear on a regular basis.

When someone is experiencing homelessness, receiving a pair of socks is like getting a hug with the message that your life matters and someone is thinking about you.

Little did Phillis and I realize during that Holiday Season in 2011 when we collected 575 pair of socks that by 2019 we would have received and given away over 525,000 pair of socks in 41 states!

The work is not done; there are thousands of men, women, and children who go without socks on a daily basis. It easy to become a Sock Ambassador and collect socks from friends, family, co-workers, fellow congregants, and neighbors, becoming a Sock Ambassador allows you to help make a social impact one pair of socks at a time and to come to know that Socks = Love.

Submitted by Sue Lee Chair Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Sock It To Em Sock Campaign

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road like many journeys has been exciting, fun and has seen a multitude of detours, roadblocks, and challenges. We didn’t have a GPS to go by. We trusted our instincts, compassion, and desires. We’ve grown so rapidly that we have physically challenged our capacity to keep up. At times I’ve had over 18,000 pair of socks in my house! Because we collect socks without cost, does not mean we don’t have costs. Our biggest challenge is we are in a capacity building stage and capital is paramount for us to maintain, sustain and grow to what we really are capable of accomplishing. The need is not going away. Ideally, we require a facility to work from, capital for operations, a means to hire and pay key employees… daunting at the time, but doable for sure.

What else should our readers know?
The Sock It To Em Sock Campaign is a 501c3 Public Charity. We do exactly what our name declares… we “sock it” to men, women, and children in need, by giving them NEW socks regardless of who they are. Seems a little crazy, we specialize in providing a simple article of clothing that most of us take for granted.

What are we most proud of? We saw a need out there that was not being fulfilled and decided we’d do it. We find it amazing that as two women without having any financial support set out to put new socks on as many feet as we could and the reality is we’ve done over 525,000 pair in 41 states… estimating on the low end that’s the equivalent of putting over $1 million dollars into the community. Lastly, we’re proud that we haven’t given up.

What sets us apart? There are many nonprofits that engage others to participate, to pitch in, be heartfelt and supportive… the thing that sets us apart is we only do new socks. We simply do NEW SOCKS.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Well, there’s the two of us Sue Lee and Phillis Shimamoto who are the founders.

Our mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, etc: There’s too many to list, but we could never have done what we’ve done without the hundreds of people who have been Sock Ambassadors, those individuals who collect new socks whenever they want from whoever they want for as long as they want. Then, there are all thousands of people they knew, who have given new socks, simply because they the Sock Ambassadors have asked them to.

There are our friends that have cheered us on, volunteered to help be Sock Sherpas delivering to agencies, hauling socks, lifting boxes. Then there are people who have found schools in need and driven all across town to come to pick up Sock Drawers and delivered them to the schools. There are teenagers who have done community service hours and have cleaned sock drawers, hauled socks, sorted socks, stuffed sock drawers, and assembled boxes.

There are the agencies we deliver to who work so hard to improve the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness. The work that they do have encouraged us to keep doing what we’re doing and their gratefulness fuel our desire to keep doing it.

There’s our Board who keep supporting us, directing us and cheering us on. They’re awesome and all nonprofits need a good board, we are blessed to have that. Our Board consists of Lynn Hellerstein, Joseph Adriano, Jill Wright, Erica Kumar, and Frank Robinson.

And then, there’s the look on the person at the corner, that when the light is red and they’re holding a sign, their clothes are tattered, the dirt of the street is upon them and we hand out a pair of socks through the window…it is their look of gratitude, their expression of, “You gave me socks?! Bless you, thank you… this means so much to me…” They’re our biggest cheerleader, our greatest mentor… it is the look in their eyes that tells us we’re doing something right.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sockittoemsockcampaign.org
• Phone: 303-929-0556
• Email: susan@sockittoemsockcampaign.org

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