VANCOUVER – A Vancouver woman has taken her hobby and turned it into a symbol of hope.
Lindsay Hodgson founded Operation Sock Monkey seven years ago, selling the popular handmade dolls to raise money for charity.
But she realized aid agencies were focusing on providing essentials and there was an unmet need she could help fulfill — providing smiles.
“The joy in the kids’ faces…makes it worth staying up until 2 a.m. sewing sometimes,” Hodgson said.
With the help of the organization Clowns Without Borders, she started sending the sock monkeys around the world to bring joy to children in poverty or living with HIV.
The demand grew bigger and soon she couldn’t keep up.
That’s when Operation Sock Monkey took on a new dimension.
She started a sewing circle — a very unconventional one.
Hodgson turned the monkey business into therapy for at-risk youth.
“It feels really good,” said Operation Sock Monkey workshop participant Chris Haibeck. “Like, it’s awesome that something like this that takes a little bit of time can go across the world and make some other kid happy.”
EXTENDED VIDEO: Lindsey Hodgson explains how she started Operation Sock Monkey and how the project grew to be more than an act of charity
Hodgson said hearing that kind of sentiment keeps her motivated.
“Just knowing with this one small idea, that’s grown so much, we’ve affected so many different people in different way(s),” she said.
“It’s going well beyond anything I could have imagined or planned,” Hodgson said. “There’s so many heroes involved in this project.”
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