By Dc Tom Cuskey
Editor
“Lord, especially on this Holy Thursday, as we call to mind that day when you washed the feet of your disciples, we ask you to continue to give us the strength to live on in your love. This is what ‘Sock Out Cancer’ is all about.”
With those words, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia welcomed a group of collaborators outside of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to celebrate the successful efforts to raise money in the fight against childhood cancer through the sale of special socks.
“This is a day where often charitable works are emphasized,” Bishop said about Holy Thursday. “That’s really what our young people are doing, through their own efforts, through Sock out Cancer. We’re trying to bring comfort.”
The young people he referenced are students from diocesan schools who sold colorful socks to raise money for cancer-treatment expenses. More than $4,000 was donated to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. As a matching gift, a donation of socks was made to people in need through local agencies including Catholic Charities of Broome County, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County Men’s Shelter, Francis House, In My Father’s Kitchen, Joseph’s House and the Samaritan Center.
Bruce Boyea is chairman of Security Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York. He and Kirk Gravely, the CEO of the company, both give their time to leading Sock Out Cancer’s team efforts.
“There’s a whole army of people,” Boyea said, “there’s an incredible force behind what we’re doing.” He added that Sock Out Cancer was founded in 2017 to “help individuals that had cancer that actually had a basic financial need for things like food, transportation to treatment and overnight help.” The organization’s reach and efforts have spread to several other states as well.
A resolution from the New York State Legislature presented at the event designates June 4, 2023, as Sock Out Cancer Day in New York. Each color on the socks represents a different form of cancer to be “socked out.” For more information, visit sockoutcancer.org.
