Seasonal & Holidays
Christmas Comes Early for Children and Teens Fighting Cancer
Dyer Presbyterian Church in Dyer, IN celebrated the gift of giving during their seventh annual Christmas in July toy drive.
Dyer Presbyterian Church in Dyer, IN celebrated the gift of giving during their seventh annual Christmas in July toy drive to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF). Parishioners collected hundreds of toys and $25 in gift cards to help children and teens fighting cancer. The Orland Park-based non-profit organization provides comfort and distraction from painful treatments to children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing a toy or gift card in 60 hospitals across 20 states nationwide. During the past seven years the Christmas Comes Early event has raised more than 5,000 toys, teen items, $350 and $75 in gift cards.
Dyer Presbyterian Church parishioner Pam Young said, "We continue to put together toy drives because we want to show children Gods love. Our ACTS mission group collected over 200 items of toys and gifts for teens. It was a great success."
Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel said, "We are extremely grateful to the Dyer Presbyterian Church parishioners for their continued support. Their tremendous support will help brave children and teens battling cancer."
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The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,000 young cancer patients in 60 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 27th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2020.
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 web site at www.treasurechest.org.
