Elle Gianelli: Transforming Socks into Fun!

Just before COVID, Elle Gianelli went on a field trip with her seventh-grade class to make spring wreaths at a local convalescent home. She really enjoyed her time there and felt connected to the senior residents. When COVID hit and things were locked down, she started wondering about the elderly people she had met on that field trip. What were they doing during the lock down, especially with no contact with the outside world? She and her mom started talking about how they might bring a little joy to their lives. Since Elle has a crazy sock passion, they came up with the idea to start Socks4Seniors. It’s a simple yet practical idea; she decided to provide a pair of silly socks to folks in assisted living facilities. The added benefit was to let them know they’re not alone and someone is thinking about them.  

Since the beginning, Elle has provided more than 3,000 pairs of silly socks to folks in nursing and assisted living facilities, both locally as well as in 35 states! Her goal is to provide socks to at least one facility in all fifty states. 

Now a sophomore at St. Mary’s High School, Elle delivers or sends her Socks4Seniors to a couple of facilities every month. Summer break and other school breaks allow her to deliver more. Elle tries to keep things moving, and she’s recruited her golf team, as part of their community outreach, to join her in packaging socks and helping with local distribution. Elle has even recruited her brother, and oftentimes, weekends are a family sock affair.  

What impact has Socks4Seniors had on her life? “It has opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to have people and family in our lives,” she responded. “Many of the residents don’t have visitors, family or people that love and care about them. It shows how a simple gesture can really change someone’s life or certainly brighten their day.” By the many pictures, letters and even paintings that she has received from some of the recipients, it has brought joy to their lives as well. She has maintained a lot of pen pals along the way, always enjoying trips to the post office box to see what surprise she might find.

Elle’s future goals are to attend college, study business and be on the golf team. “I hope to do something in the business world like my mom, or I am contemplating psychiatry and potentially working with children and young adults,” she shared. “It’s tough being a teenager in today’s world and I can only imagine it will only continue to get harder. If I could help with any of that and share my experiences, I think that would be of great interest to me as well. I still have some time to figure it all out. Right?” 

To continue Elle’s good work and receive more information, please follow her Instagram and Facebook @Socks4Seniors.