Socks4Seniors: Stockton teen's "silly socks" bring smiles across the US
STOCKTON – A Stockton teenager is bringing smiles to seniors' faces, one pair of socks at a time.
Clubs, gloves and golf balls: When heading on the golf course, those are some of the essentials. But for 16-year-old Elle Gianelli, there's another thing to add to the checklist.
"I play in silly socks, I think it lightens my mood and it's just a little good luck charm for me," Elle said.
Her signature look, if you will. Every time she looks down, it's a reminder to keep smiling.
In 2020, that reminder was more important than ever. Just a few weeks before the world shut down, Gianelli went on a field trip to a senior living facility.
Just a 7th grader at the time, Gianelli was touched by her interactions with the residents.
When the pandemic hit, she knew she needed to do something for them.
"I was, like, 'You know what. What's something that I love that brings a smile to my face that could bring a smile to other people's faces? And I thought 'silly socks,'" Gianelli said.
She created Socks4Seniors to send fun socks to local nursing and assisted living facilities. Two years later, she's sent over 3,000 socks to facilities across the nation.
Gianelli includes a note with each pair of socks and shares her contact in case any seniors need someone to talk to. She's gained several pen pals along the way.
At just 16, Gianelli has been featured in TV interviews – even appearing in People Magazine. But the reward of Socks4Seniors is much more than that.
"Like me reading through and looking through things and hearing like the response, 'Hey, I just wanted to let you know, remember that gentleman we posted yesterday? He passed away today and the last thing he was so excited about was those pair of socks,'" said Elle's mom Rachelle.
For Elle, it's about showing these folks that someone still cares.
"You never know what someone is going through, so something really small like silly socks can do something for someone," Elle said.
Gianelli is hard at work to take this project to all 50 states and pick up even more pen pals along the way. She has a goal of raising $10,000 on her GoFundMe page.
