Student Council at Lincoln-Way East Gives to Kids Fighting Cancer

The Student Council at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort recently held a toy drive for the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. The Council collected over 40 toys and $200 to help children fighting cancer.

Student Council is an organization conducted by students and supervised by adults. The purpose of the student council is to give students an opportunity to develop leadership by organizing and carrying out school activities and service projects.

Laura Render Lincoln-Way East Student Council Sponsor said, “The Treasure Chest Foundation is such a fantastic organization, and they bring a bright light to kids in need. Supporting the Treasure Chest allows our students to feel like they are making a difference.”

The Student Council made an equally strong impression on Treasure Chest Foundation CEO Colleen Kisel, who remarked, “As the Founder of the Treasure Chest Foundation, I realize our effectiveness comes from those students committed to making a difference in the community. The Student Council at Lincoln-Way East has truly made a difference in the lives of children fighting cancer,” said an appreciative Colleen.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,800 young cancer patients in 63 cancer treatment centers in 21 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 1-708-687-TOYS (8697) or visit the Foundation’s website at www.treasurechest.org.