Clinton322web

KIDS WHO CARE
Anna Ford KillebrewBethany Cole
LEARNING WHAT
MATTERS MOST
If you ask anyone from Clinton why they
love the town, they will often tell you, “It’s the
people.” People make a place what it is, defining
the strongest attributes of a community and
cultivating a culture that produces a spirit of
service.
Anna Ford Killebrew, age 8, and a third
grader at Northside Elementary, is a shining
example of that culture. Anna Ford, who was
born in Raymond and raised in Clinton, grew
up watching both her family and her hometown
set an ambitious philanthropic pace.
In the fall of last year, she began asking her
mother about needs in the world, particularly as
they relate to those who might not have a home.
“One day I asked my mom if there were people
who didn’t have homes, even kids,” says Anna.
“My mom told me that there were. I said I
wanted to help. My mom told me about
something called Socktober that a boy called
Kid President did several years ago. I thought it
was a good idea and wanted to do it too.”
Socktober, which began in 2011 and was
originally created by Brad Montague, was
birthed out of the realization that socks often
ranked as one of the most needed items in the
homeless community. Attempting to remedy
such a basic deficiency, Montague began to give
out socks to those in need in his area, filming
himself saying, “Happy Socktober!” as he went
through his city. In 2013, Montague teamed up
with Kid President in an effort to bring more
awareness to the event, which proved radically
effective. In recent years, people from all seven
continents have participated and hosted their
own sock drives.
Inspired by these worldwide efforts and
need in the local homeless population, Anna
Ford decided to begin asking friends and family
for donations. “We asked for a lot of donations
from friends and at church. We got sock
donations and snacks and money. We then used
the money to buy more socks and snacks.” Thus
a full-fledged endeavor to help the homeless was
set in motion, with Anna Ford eventually
collecting 231 pairs of socks from her community.
While the Socktober movement propelled
Anna Ford forward with a template for how to
serve, she also had a service-oriented example a
little closer to home, namely from her grandmother.
According to Anna Ford, her grandmother
has been one of the most influential
people in her life when it comes to learning how
best to give back. Her grandmother, Cee Cee,
volunteers with the food pantry at her church,
Alta Woods United Methodist Church, in
South Jackson. So, it was only fitting that Anna
Ford would follow in her steps, and Alta Woods
was the chosen location for the sock distribution.
Packing 77 bags that were stocked with three
pairs of socks and food, Anna Ford, along with
her sister Caroline (who attends Lovett
Elementary), and her grandmother, gave the
bags away on November 23, 2021.
According to Anna Ford, the most rewarding
aspect of the event was the process of putting
together the bags as an act of service, and also
the involvement of the Alta Woods church
community. As she says, “I got to see my
grandmother’s church help us bring the bags in
and they were all smiling.”
As anyone would expect, her parents were
massively proud of both their daughters’
determined attitudes in pursuing a way to make
the world a better place. Allison Killebrew,
Anna Ford’s mother, says, “Anna Ford has the
biggest heart of any person I know, adult or
child. She constantly stretches me to be a better
person. She has a good big sister who helps her.
Her dad and I couldn’t be more proud!”
Next year, Anna Ford plans to repeat
“Socktober” and hopes to collect even more
socks and snacks. During the year between, she
will continue to pursue her favorite hobbies,
which include dancing, deer hunting, and art.
She also participates in Accent at Northside
Elementary, a program designed to help children
excel in specific and unique ways.
When asked about what she would like to do
or be when she grows up, she says she isn’t quite
certain. However, it was her Accent class that
introduced her to criminology, which, so far, is
the lead contender for a possible career.
“I learned about criminologists in Accent
and that job sounds like fun,” she says. School
also offers everyday inspiration in the form
of the teachers she interacts with while there.
She mentions two local teachers who have
greatly impacted her. “Mrs. Ross, my dyslexia
teacher, and Mrs. Bryant, my second-grade
teacher, because I love them, and they helped
me learn to read.”
Such teachers, and families like the
Killebrews, are what continue to make Clinton
an exceptional place for Anna Ford to grow up
and learn. As she says succinctly, “It is a great
town!”
For more information on Socktober and
how its participants are meeting everyday needs,
visit: www.socktober.com
Hometown CLINTON • 35