Three Generations of the Ritchie Family are Gifting Children

Members of the Ritchie Family representing three generations are giving back to children fighting cancer by building deliveries of toys to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. Family members include long-time volunteer Mount Greenwood resident Dan Ritchie who convinced his son Danny Ritchie and grandson Drew Ritchie (age 11) to volunteer at the Foundation.

The Ritchie’s showed up to help pack and prepare the toys and gifts for shipment to Treasure Chests located in the various children’s cancer treatment centers served by the Foundation. Founder Colleen Kisel estimates the Ritchie’s have personally prepared more than 360 pounds worth of toys for shipping enough to stock at least three hospitals or children’s cancer treatment centers for the next several weeks.

The work itself is seldom easy: both father, son and grandson typically perform the physically challenging jobs of lifting and stacking the boxes once they’re ready to be shipped to their ultimate destinations. Young Drew recognizes the importance of their task, with Drew saying, “I’m doing this because I can imagine all the kids lighting up because of the kindness of all the people.” Dan Ritchie chimed in by saying, “Always happy to do a good deed for someone else.”

Ms. Kisel showed her appreciation for the family’s loyalty and hard work, saying, “Volunteers like the Ritchie Family are the lifeblood of our Foundation. Without them, we would never be able to provide smiles of joy to thousands of young cancer patients every month. We are so grateful that the Ritchie’s are willing to take time to be here and their contributions have been incredible.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,600 young cancer patients in 62 cancer treatment centers in 20 states across the nation and in the District of Columbia. Nowhere else in the nation does such a program exist. Colleen Kisel founded the organization in 1996 after her then seven-year-old son Martin had been diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. Ms. Kisel discovered that giving her son a toy after each procedure provided a calming distraction from his pain, noting that when children are diagnosed with cancer their world soon becomes filled with doctors, nurses, chemotherapy drugs, surgeries and seemingly endless painful procedures. Martin celebrated his 28th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of this year.

If you would like further information about the Treasure Chest Foundation, please contact Colleen Kisel at 708-687-TOYS (8697) or visit the Foundation’s website at www.treasurechest.org.

Photo caption: Members of the Ritchie Family representing three generations including (pictured left to right) Mount Greenwood resident Dan Ritchie, Danny Ritchie, and Drew Ritchie (age 11) at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse packing and preparing the toys and gifts for shipment to Treasure Chests located in the various children’s cancer treatment centers served by the Foundation. The toys will help bring smiles of joy to childhood cancer patients nationwide.