For the entire month of October, the International Baccalaureate Program partnered with LIMBS International in selling socks to raise money for those in need of prosthetic limbs. By participating in this program, students will have a worldwide impact, because for every 75 sets of socks sold, LIMBS will provide one prosthetic leg to an amputee in need.

LIMBS International assists amputees in underdeveloped countries by providing them with prosthetic limbs at a fraction of the regular cost. The best prosthetics available are in the highest supply in North America and Europe, where the demand for them is the lowest. LIMBS provides
prosthetics to amputees in countries such as Cambodia, Bolivia, Kenya, and Bangladesh, where the demand for these prosthetics are much higher.

In underdeveloped areas of Asia, Africa and South America, workers are more likely to get injured on the job, at times leading to loss of a limb. In these areas, amputees often lose their jobs, are shunned from their communities, and are sometimes forced to beg on the streets for survival. According to the World Health
Organization, there are approximately 30 million amputees worldwide who lack access to basic mobility devices, and LIMBS is helping to solve this issue.

This organization recently partnered with the Florida League of IB Schools, which adopted their Socktober program statewide. This program provides schools
with the resources they need to help not only amputees in need around the world, but members of their own community. The proceeds from the purchase of the socks provided to schools by LIMBS will go towards providing a prosthetic leg to an amputee, but for every leg donated due to the sock donations, one pair of socks will be donated to a shelter in the community.

“We will sell enough socks to be able to donate 3 prosthetic limbs,” said IB Coordinator Jan Patterson.

Students can buy socks throughout the month of October in the IB office, but official sock sales took place from Oct. 24 – Oct. 28th, culminating with a school-wide “Socktober Day” on Oct. 28, when all students had the opportunity to wear the colorful socks they purchased.

Although Socktober will conclude come the start of November, University of Miami’s Dr. Robert S. Gailey, an expert on prosthetics and orthotics, will be speaking to IB students on Nov. 29, highlighting the different areas of prosthetics.

Although Socktober is over, socks are still available for purchase in the IB office. Each $12 pack includes three pairs of colorful socks.