by Janelis Montes – featured in The West Wind (Official Cranston HS West Newspaper)
On Friday November 8, Cranston Cares took center stage in Cranston Country Club, not only for laughter, but for a special cause to bring the community together. Cranston Cares is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the city of Cranston by giving back to both veterans and the community run by West alumni Ed Brady and Justin Erickson.
The Cranston Cares Organization was created in honor of Sgt. Adam DeCiccio, who was a CHSW graduate that enlisted in the army at age 18. He served for just under seven years and went overseas for two and a half of those. Sgt. DeCiccio was described as a loving and caring father, friend, brother, and son. “My dad was a veteran, but even after all that he was a father. We did a bunch of stuff together, and he introduced me to his friends, which led me to meet my best friend,” stated his son, Gunner DeCiccio.
The idea of Cranston Cares first started in 2019. During this time, Sgt. DeCiccio started to raise money to buy turkeys for Veterans in need throughout Cranston. This soon became a tradition for him, but when he sadly passed away in 2021 due to mental illness, it became a legacy.
Photo Courtesy: Ed Brady
One of Sgt. DeCiccio’s childhood friends, Justin Erickson stated, “I was the assistant athletic director, and Adam was the wrestling coach at Western Hills at the time. He was wanting to give back to veterans, so he asked me for 100 bucks.”
“Then he goes, “I’m buying turkeys for veterans.” So, we went around to a bunch of places, got donations and we loaded up his big old pick up truck with turkeys that we gave out, and did it the following year too, until he passed,” continued Erickson.
Cranston Cares continues to keep Sgt. DeCiccio’s legacy and memory alive today, with not just words alone but actions as well. Last Friday, the organization collaborated with Funny for Funds, and hosted a comedy show starring humorists Skip Daniels and Bill Simas in honor of Sgt. DeCiccio.
The goal of this was to raise $222, which was his badge number, for turkeys to pass out to veterans on Veterans’ Day. Ed Brady, a close friend of Sgt. DeCiccio and a board member of Cranston Cares stated, “Our goal is raising the money for turkeys, that’s the whole financial objective and goal, but we also want to continue to keep his memory alive by our actions too.”
Photo Courtesy: Cranston Cares
The president of Cranston Cares, Taylor Brady, who also knew Sgt. DeCiccio personally, reached out to the community and local businesses in Cranston for this special cause. Taylor Brady stated, “For raffles and silent auctions we reached out to local businesses that we knew, let them know the cause, and asked if they were interested in either donating a gift card or a raffle item from their business, and a ton of local people got together and really came through. We had some awesome raffle items out there.”
Sgt. DeCiccio truly was a brave and kind man, who cared for both his country and his community. He has impacted so many lives by not only serving in the army, but donating to those in need. His tradition of helping the community will last for years to come, both in honor of his legacy and of what he loved to do.
Sponsors: The Thirsty Beaver, Cranston West Alumni Association, The Jaded Candle, Creative Early Learning Center, Northwestern Mutual, Friend Landscaping & More LLC, Arthur DiPetrillo Plumbing & Heating, Sandoval Masonry.
