Lorain Alumna Holly Jackson Brings World Record Home to the Community

By The LCS Communications Department | Michael Paciotti

LORAIN — When Holly Jackson, a 1990 Lorain High School graduate, set out to break a Guinness World Record, she did it with her hometown in mind. Jackson is the founder of Walls of Love, a nonprofit dedicated to providing basic necessities for those in need. 

On Oct. 4, she and volunteers across Northeast Ohio set a world record by collecting the most pairs of socks in one hour. Lorain City Schools stepped up in a big way — donating 10,000 pairs of socks toward the effort, ensuring that members of the community will benefit from Jackson's mission. In total, the group collected 17,715 pairs of socks, shattering the previous world record of 2,500.

"We are very, very thankful, very blessed for the amount of people that love Walls of Love, and they know that 100% of what we get goes back to the community," Jackson said during the event. "All of the things that we're collecting today are going to be disseminated to different charities. So Walls of Love isn't keeping any of it. We are giving back to all of the communities." 

Volunteers set up in the parking lot of Crust Midtown, located at the corner of St. Clair Ave. and East 30th St. in downtown Cleveland, and worked quickly to keep donations moving and properly counted for Guinness. 

"Some of the donations that we are getting are actually going back to the Lorain community," Jackson said. 

For Jackson, the record attempt is about more than numbers. Socks are among the most-needed but least-donated items for both unhoused individuals and children in schools. 

"For the homeless, for those in need, people that are out in the weather, this is the biggest item," she said. "And I have also found that for schools, a lot of the children, they need them, and they're very embarrassed sometimes about that. So it's an honor for us to be able to fill those closets in the school areas." 

The final Guinness verification will take several weeks, but the impact of the effort is already being felt. Dozens of organizations and individuals, including Jackson's alma mater, Lorain City Schools, came together to help ensure thousands of pairs of socks will reach people who need them most.