A new addition to Carlmont’s long list of clubs, Sock Club, is facing growing pains.
As the 2018-19 school year begins, clubs start their usual activities. Whether it be going out to participate in events or simply meeting up on a weekly basis, club members are always actively participating.
However, for new clubs, it’s a time of experimentation as they search to establish a foundation for new members.
This comes with a cost and many, including Sock Club, are left without financial support.
“Our biggest problem is mostly just money and finding resources to get all the stuff you need for the club,” said sophomore and vice president Ava Richards.
Sock Club is a newly established club that meets every Friday in room A11 during lunch. During meetings, the club leaders teach the basics of knitting to members and hope to eventually be able to make socks. The socks are then donated to the non-profit charity organization Socks for Soldiers.
“The official goal is to breed a love of socks and spread joy though sock donations, but the unstated goal, at least for me, is just to provide an environment to feel comfortable and accepted for anyone to participate in,” said sophomore and president Aaron Lee.
Carlmont currently has 126 clubs, each focusing on a variety of topics. With another similar club, Gosh Yarn It, Sock Club hopes to stay true to their own goal.
“Despite the similarities in activities I think that having a more specific goal of creating socks and donating them really makes our club stand out,” Lee said. “I haven’t really put much thought to trying to distinguish our club because in my mind I see the two clubs as really different.”
Unable to start a trust fund to raise funds by selling, Sock Club is left without a mean of acquiring finances for supplies.
“In order to run the club we need supplies, and thus far we’ve been denied a trust fund and might need to rely on our members to buy their own,” Lee said.
According to junior Isabella Mattioli, the clubs and culture supervisor for ASB, a club must have a trust fund in order to raise money as stated in The California Education Code.
“They get together, they knit, they make socks for homeless, they learn about socks, they tell about their socks,” Mattioli said. “None of that really pertains to the need for a trust fund[…] We don’t want to have to open up a trust fund for them when it is not necessary.”
According to Mattioli, all clubs have to personally contribute their own finances, leading several to resort to the support of outside organizations.
Lee joyfully reported that Sock Club might just have a similar opportunity.
“The organization we plan on donating to might donate yarn to us which would be wonderful,” Lee said.
