Los Alamos High School DECA and NJROTC students with more than 500 pairs of socks their organizations collected for area homeless shelters. Photo Courtesy LAPS

The Los Alamos High School DECA sock drive generated donations of more than 500 pairs of socks for area homeless shelters. The socks will be distributed to shelters in Española and Santa Fe during the next month.

The total number of socks collected this year is more than double the number collected in the 2023 sock drive. This year, in addition to continuing the partnership with Los Alamos Middle School, the DECA team partnered with the LAHS NJROTC Team.

“We thank Chief Ayers, Petty Officer Bohlen, and the LAHS NJROTC cadets for the quantity of socks they collected and donated,” LAHS DECA Advisor Dr. Sharon Hurley said. “Almost half of the socks collected this year were provided by the NJROTC students.”  

Chief Aron Ayers and Petty Officer Matthew Bohlen encouraged the NJROTC cadets to participate in the DECA community service project.

“We’re thrilled to have been able to lend a small hand to the sock drive,” Chief Ayers said. “DECA and NJROTC share a common purpose in teaching high school students the value of leadership, which their members and our cadets show on a daily basis.  We hope to be able to join up with this incredible campus organization again in the future.”

Both organizations hope to continue to combine efforts for future projects.

“This is a great example of how community members working together can generate a successful outcome,” Dr. Hurley said. “We hope to continue working with both LAMS and the LAHS NJROTC in future community service projects. We are grateful for the support of the community, the parents and staff of both LAHS and LAMS, the LAPS district office, and the NJROTC Program for our most successful sock drive yet. We will be able to provide socks to hundreds of homeless individuals as a result of the combined efforts of this community and our organizations.”