At Western Middle School everyone looks forward to “Mismatched Day,” inspired by Sam Buck, now in 8th grade at WMS, who started the trend to wear mismatched socks just for fun.
These days the entire school district celebrates and shows unity with Sam in his fight against Vanishing White Matter Disease. VWM is progressive, debilitating, and universally terminal illness for which there is no treatment or cure.
On Mismatched Day, the community sells and wears mismatched socks to raise funds for the Vanishing White Matter Families Foundation.
This year, Western Middle School has made additional efforts to raise awareness and funds beyond the local community, by creating the “Socks For Sam” campaign.
Sam Buck in front of the socks showcase at Western Middle School.
The campaign has engaged business leaders and individuals both local and worldwide via social media who have spread awareness of Vanishing White Matter Disease.
The online community of fiber artists have knit hundreds of socks which they have donated to the school to be resold, posting their work on social media using the hashtag “#SocksForSam.”
All of the funds from sock sales will fund research and support those affected by VWM.
According to WMS Spanish teacher Cody Ludvinsky, the effort has resulted in many sponsors including authors, local yarn shops, fiber companies and designers.
“Our most local sponsor is Upland Fiber Company, out of New Canaan, and our furthest sponsor is a pattern designer from Finland,” Ludvinsky said.
“Our educational social media and awareness campaign has had hundreds of thousands of impressions total. This is important because VWM is an exceedingly rare disease with less than 300 known cases worldwide.”
“Popular YouTubers such as the ‘needles at the ready podcast,’ who are local to Connecticut, have been instrumental in spreading our message but we have also been featured on other popular podcasts such as ‘Pardon my Stash,’ ‘Knit Together with Kim and Jonna,’ as well as many other YouTube channels as far as the United Kingdom.”
Ludvinsky said to day nearly 300 hand knit socks have been received from all over the country and from as far as Hungary.
Teachers began advertising the effort by visiting sheep and fiber festivals across New England.
“We have also held in-person events such as the ‘Day of Giving’ at ‘pick up every stitch,’ a local yarnshop in Mt. Kisco, New York, where we held a sock-knitting clinic with a meet and greet with popular YouTubers.”
Western Middle School is putting a new twist on Socks For Sam campaign, sock sales in preparation for “Mismatched day” on April 3, 2025. Socks displayed in a showcase at WMS are donated and from the school’s knitting club. Contributed photo
Sam’s Classmates have made posters to support the sale of the knit and donated socks.
By harnessing the power of the Fiber Arts Community, #SocksForSam is raising awareness and funds to benefit the Vanishing White Matter Disease Family Foundation.
On Wednesdays before school single socks or pairs are for sale $15 for one or $25 for a mismatched pair.
Donate $10 and wear mismatched socks on Thursday April 3rd to show support for VWM families worldwide.
If anyone wants to donate they can donate to the Vanishing White Matter Families Foundation online https://secure.qgiv.
For instructions about donating a clean, unworn knit sock click here.
Got a question? Email: [email protected]
Learn more about mismatched sock day on April 3 here.
Check out the Socks for Sam Instagram page! @knitsocksforsam