CINCINNATI — Like many high schoolers around the country, Loveland High School grad William Heard had his senior year cut short by coronavirus.
COVID-19 halted the Loveland senior’s plans, including canceling things he and his friends love like theater performances.
“My family and I really wanted to do something to lift the spirits of the community,” he said.
To get some giving going, William decided to have a sock drive to benefit people experiencing homelesseness.
“Because socks are an item that I really care for -- I have fun socks on all the time," he said.
He put a flyer on social media and asked the folks of Loveland to help him raise money to buy all kinds of brand new stockings.
“They want to help ... They want to be there ... To me this means a lot,” said William’s mom Keara.
William’s goal: to collect 2,020 pairs of socks to mark his graduation year. He ended up collecting 2,763 -- and the collection's still growing. That includes socks of all kinds - stockings for little feet, fuzzy socks, dress socks and colorful socks.
William's going to donate all of it to a few different organizations with one group in mind: people experiencing homelessness.
“My family and I, we've been homeless before,” he said.
The Heards know how hard the world can be, but with the help of their faith, family and community, they prospered. They haven't forgotten, though.
“I mean a pair of socks can go a long way,” Keara said. "Your feet are dirty...Sometimes you just wanna put on a clean pair of socks and just feel okay.”
It's a project that's shown William that though the world's going through a tough place right now, people can build themselves back up.
“There's always a sense of community no matter where you live,” William said.
“To see the love he has for the community and others -- it warms my heart,” Keara said. “It really does.”
For more stories about the Tri-State coming together during the coronavirus pandemic, subscribe to WCPO 9's Acts of Kindess email newsletter.
