Minooka, Plainfield Central volleyball teams raising money for Shorewood HUGS

The Minooka Community High School and Plainfield Central High School girls volleyball teams are hoping to score a lot of points Tuesday, Oct. 15, to benefit Shorewood HUGS as they plan their annual “Hits for Hugs” fundraiser.

There will be raffle baskets, shirt sales and 50/50 raffle tickets sold at the event. The games will be played at MCHS, starting with the junior varsity match at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity match at 5:30 p.m., including a ceremony to honor a local resident before warmups about 5 p.m., according to a news release announcing the event.

The goal of the event is to raise enough money for several wishes to be given in the community. This year’s in-person wish will be to Ariel and Danny Diamond, according to the release. Ariel Diamond, who graduated from Minooka in 2010 and works at Minooka Junior High School, has coached in the MCHS volleyball program for three seasons.

Ariel and her husband Danny are expecting their first daughter in November. Over the summer, it was discovered that their daughter has hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The condition results when “the left side of the heart doesn’t develop fully and is too small,” according to the Mayo Clinic website. “So it can’t pump blood well. Instead, the right side of the heart must pump blood to the lungs and to the rest of the body.”

After meeting with doctors, the plan for the baby girl will be a few surgeries. The most significant one will be after she is born, when she will spend four to six weeks in the hospital recovering. This will be followed by surgery at 2 months and another one between 2 and 4 years old, according to the release.

During these surgeries, the Diamonds will be staying in Chicago to be close to their daughter. The goal of the fundraiser is to be able to supply the couple with gas cards and food cards, according to the release.

Shorewood HUGS is a nonprofit women’s organization that works to have a positive influence in the lives of those in the community and surrounding communities, “one hug at a time,” according to the release. HUGS is an acronym for “Helping U Get Started.”

The organization does this by hosting unique events and raising funds to fulfill wishes for those in need. To date, Shorewood HUGS has fulfilled more than 1,000 wishes, according to the release.

To donate to the game and cause, email varsity girls head volleyball coach Carrie Prosek at cprosek@mchs.net for more information.