LAHS DECA President Presley Haight and Vice President of Career Development Michael Velasquez-Saiz prepare sock collection boxes. Photo Courtesy LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Los Alamos High School (LAHS) DECA Chapter is collectingsocks for homeless shelters in Santa Fe and Espanola during the month of November. Collection boxes are located at the
high school in A Wing, D wing, and E Wing (Activities Office), Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) Front Office, the lobby of Los Alamos Schools Credit Union, New Beginnings Church, and the Elks Lodge.
Each academic year, LAHS DECA Chapter selects a community service project to support. For the sixth consecutive year, DECA students voted to hold a sock drive to solicit donations of new socks for homeless shelters in the region.
“Serving our local and regional communities is a meaningful component of the DECA experience, helping students learn the importance of teamwork and working toward a common goal,” commented DECA Advisor, Dr. Sharon Hurley. “Last year we partnered with Los Alamos Middle School, Los Alamos Public Schools Credit Union, the Elks Lodge, and Los Alamos High School NJROTC for this project. With the help of these organizations and generous donations from community members, we collected over 1,200 pairs of socks in November of 2025.”
She added, “It is rewarding to know that this service project brought a measure of comfort to so many people. This year, we hope to match or exceed the number of socks collected previously.”
LAHS DECA will collect socks throughout the month of November and then take them to homeless shelters in mid-December. Once again partnering with the Los Alamos Public Schools Credit Union, the Elks Lodge, LAMS, LAHS NJROTC, and with new partner, New Beginnings Church, the LAHS DECA chapter has set a goal of collecting 1,300 (or more) pairs of socks to donate to the shelters this year.
“This service project encourages us to look beyond ourselves and focus on meeting the needs of others in our community,” Hurley commented. “Although our students devote significant time to preparing academically for competitions, projects like this reinforce the importance of
service and demonstrate how even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference in
the lives of others. We are very grateful for our community partners who are willing to help us
with donations and collections.”
Community members are invited to participate in the DECA service project by dropping socks off at the high school or town collection sites. Additional winter items such as gloves, scarves, hats and blankets are also accepted, but the primary focus is on collecting socks.
DECA is an international business organization, with both high school and collegiate chapters, focused on business education. DECA students spend the academic year concentrating onareas
such as marketing, finance, business administration, and hospitality and tourism. Students participate in competitions in these topics at regional, state, and international levels. DECA students are also expected to participate in an annual service project benefiting the local or regional area.