Joliet Teens are Gifting Children Fighting Cancer

Joliet teenagers Cate Ritchie (age 13), Alyssa Lee (age 13) and Drew Ritchie (age 11) are giving back to children fighting cancer by creating gift bags for kids to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation.

Cate, Alyssa and Drew who have pitched in at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse had positive reactions to their experience. Cate Ritchie said, “It was fun to volunteer and to experience helping kids who have cancer.” Drew Ritchie said, “I’m doing this because I can imagine all the kids lighting up because of the kindness of all the people.”

POTCF Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel is grateful for the kid’s help. Colleen said, “We are incredibly proud of young people like Cate, Alyssa and Drew who willingly made the decision to work for children fighting cancer. It takes hours to sort through our collection of tiny toys and create such appealing gift bags.”

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.