Providence’s Siena Adducci spent a chunk of her summer vacation having to check her own heart.
The senior right-side hitter did volunteer work in the pediatric emergency unit at Silver Cross Hospital, and there were some tough days watching children suffer.
“It’s heartbreaking to see what the kids have to go through,” Adducci said. “What they are coming in for and what they are going through and their background is heartbreaking.”
While she couldn’t cure any of the children, she tried to make their lives a little happier by organizing a toy drive with Cole Hagwell, a multisport athlete for the Celtics.
It brought in roughly 1,000 toys for the hospital during a two-week span.
In a press release, Hagwell pointed out that “even the smallest toy can make the biggest difference for families going through tough times.”
Scott Paddock, a senior vice president of external affairs at Silver Cross, was impressed.
Paddock, a former Notre Dame basketball player and past president of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, said the hospital has approximately 400 volunteers from high school students to a person who’s in the mid-90s.
He said some volunteers have donated money and toys in the past. But nothing like this.
“I can’t recall a high school volunteer taking this initiative on his or her own,” Paddock said. “That’s what’s really cool about this.”
Paddock praised Adducci and Hagwell for taking the time to not only to work in a “pretty intense environment” but to spend extra moments scouring the neighborhoods to secure toys.
Some of the toys collected included Barbie dolls, cars and stuffed animals.
“I reached out to some family and friends and social media and saw what I could collect from other people,” Adducci said. “I wanted to give the kids in the hospital some joy and some happiness.”
Paddock said the toys are already creating enjoyment for the patients.
“She and some of her volunteer high school colleagues created fliers and handed them out,” Paddock said of Adducci. “We received a tremendous amount of toys for the children.
“They presented them to us a few weeks ago, and we’re now putting them to use with either a pediatric patient who comes here or a child who is accompanying a family member. The toys are a great source of comfort.”
Adducci’s mother, Heidi, works at the hospital as a customer service ambassador and is a breast cancer survivor. In October, along with other Providence students and moms, Siena and Heidi took part in a Making Strides Against Cancer Walk in Orland Park to raise donations and awareness.
Providence coach Lee Rucinski is proud that Adducci has been able to do so much good.
“It’s kind of cool because it’s not always about what you do on the court,” Rucinski said of Siena. “It’s also about what you do off the court.”
Adducci’s time on the court has been limited to a part-time role for the Celtics (11-0), who are hoping for a huge season after reaching the Class 3A supersectional two years in a row.
In six matches heading into Monday, she has 12 kills with a .476 hitting percentage.
Rucinski, however, talked about the great value that Adducci has brought to the Celtics.
“She’s just one of those kids who is the greatest teammate you can ask for,” he said. “She’s a sweetheart of a person and is mature beyond her years. She knows her role on the team. She embraces it. She supports her teammates and she just wants to be here for everyone.”
Paddock, for one, can vouch for that.
“She’s really an impressive young lady,” he said.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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