Nolan and Naddison Hutton

Grades: 5 and 3

Started with SA in: Nolan: Kindergarten; Naddison: Pre-K

Future plans: Nolan: “I want to be a football player and president (of the U.S.). There are lots of changes to be made that other presidents haven’t thought of.” Naddison: “I plan to be an orthopedic pediatric surgeon because they help people. I see how much they do for people and how much they care.”

Role model: Nolan: “I look up to my friend Andrew. He is really smart, and I’m inspired by him.” Naddison: “I look up to my brother and some of my best friends and my mom.”

Favorite thing about SA: Both siblings said their friends and teachers are their favorite part of school, and Naddison also included math.

Spotlight: After an extended stay as a toddler at Children’s Hospital, the staff gave Nolan a Mickey Mouse stuffie wearing a hospital gown which he still has in his bedroom. The gift got him thinking about other children in the hospital. “I got a rush of happiness (from receiving the toy), and realized that there might not be enough donations for every kid to get a toy. I wanted to help them feel that joy either at the end or during their stay in the hospital.” Since 2014, Nolan and his family have spearheaded a toy drive by placing collection boxes throughout their community as well as at SA. Nolan also regularly speaks about his toy drive during mass at his church. Donations are delivered annually to the Child Life Department of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In 2019, the drive resulted in a donation of more than $20,000 worth of toys, books, clothes, and gift cards. Like so many things, COVID required that the family modify their plans by collecting gifts and monetary donations via an online app as well as gift cards. Nolan looks forward to returning to their original methods. “I hope to finally be able to feel that joy of getting into that truck with all of the toys and taking them in,” he said. Naddison helps with the toy drive by spreading the word and contributing her own toys that she has outgrown or no longer uses. For her last birthday, she asked that everyone attending her party forgo a gift for her and instead bring a warm item to be donated to the homeless. When asked why she chose to contribute to homeless shelters, Naddison replied, “I was thinking about people and health and what people need that I can give them.” Both Nolan and Naddison are active in their church and plan to continue helping others however they can. They also want to help animals – Nolan plans to volunteer at an animal shelter starting next year while Naddison sponsors an elephant through the World Wildlife Fund and dreams of assisting at an elephant preservation in Africa.