Mary White calls SOCK — Senior Organized Citizens of Kansas — one Iola’s best-kept secrets.
She wishes it wasn’t so.
“That’s our problem,” she said. “Nobody knows what SOCK is or what it means.”
The group’s mission is simple. It’s an avenue for area senior citizens to get together and socialize, while discussing various topics of interest, White said.
The group — featuring members from seven southeast Kansas counties — held its regular bi-monthly meeting Monday morning at Iola’s North Community Building.
A crowd of about 25 dined on snacks and desserts before hearing from Mandy Smith, an outreach specialist for the Resource Center for Independent Living. Smith spoke about “assistive” technology for those who are blind or visually impaired.
Following Smith’s presentation, members played a spirited game of bingo before departing for lunch at local restaurants, followed by a trip to the Russell Stover Candies plant.
“It’s just a great way to catch up with old friends and meet new people,” said Hilda Clem of Elk City, SOCK president.
The SOCK group brings in members from Allen, Neosho, Bourbon, Woodson, Montgomery, Crawford and Linn counties in southeast Kansas. They meet the first Monday of every even-numbered month in Iola.
Each county’s representatives take turns providing door prizes for that month’s meeting. Monday’s was Crawford County’s turn, Clem explained.
“We all bring food,” Smith interjected.
THE SENIOR Organized Citizens of Kansas was formed in 1971 in Topeka when groups of senior citizens would gather informally, then in a more structured setting.
Organizers soon realized that most of the attendees came from southeast Kansas, so the group relocated to Iola, where it has met ever since.
At its peak, SOCK had more than 100 members, and served as an advocacy and lobbying group in Topeka, White said.
Those efforts have ebbed as the group’s numbers dwindled, she said, to the point that only about 35 members remain active, combined in all seven counties.
The group’s primary focus today is socializing and learning about aging-related topics.
“We’d really like to see our numbers grow again,” White said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
For those unable to drive to the meeting, the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program provides free transportation aboard its buses, said Sandra Harrold of Coffeyville, one of the drivers.
Members pay $2 a year in dues. Groups and other organizations pay $10 or $15 annually, depending on their makeup.
The club’s officers are Clem and White, president and vice president, respectively; Eva Gallagher, Coffeyville, secretary; and Harreld, treasurer.
The next meeting for SOCK will be at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 6.
