New JALC Club Donates $12,000 Worth of Socks to the Poshard Foundation

Published on October 19, 2023

Social Workers for Change, a new service club at John A. Logan College, is less than one month old but is already impacting the campus and the community. Club members recently collected 1,540 pairs of socks estimated to be worth $12,000. The socks were presented to the Poshard Foundation for Abused and Children.

According to club member Laura Talandis, a sophomore Social Work Major, the Club was formed to help families in the communities surrounding John A. Logan College and despite only forming a few weeks ago, club members wanted to hit the ground running. 

“The sock project was something we could do in a relatively short amount of time, that would have an immediate need and impact,” said Talandis. 

Talandis added that she reached out to a Social Worker with the Carrier Mills Grade School to help. 

“Allyson Ryan got the grade school in Carrier Mills involved and they collected over 1,000 pairs of socks, so we are extremely grateful to her and all of the students and staff at the school.” 

Jo Poshard was overwhelmed by the donation and impressed by the quick turnaround. 

“I had sent out an email letting people know about a service project by the Carbondale High School Volleyball team to collect socks for our Foundation,” said Poshard. “When I got the call from the club that they had over 1,540 I was just blown away. These socks will go to children in need around southern Illinois, and the timing could not be better with colder weather approaching.” 

The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children was chartered as a public charitable organization. It is an all-volunteer organization with donations coming from individuals and businesses and receives no state or federal grant support. 

The vision of the Foundation is to heal abused children physically and emotionally and to stop the abuse of children. John A. Logan College generously provides office space and amenities. To learn more about the Poshard Foundation visit www.poshardfoundation.org. Students interested in joining Social Workers for Change can email swfc@jalc.edu.