The Highlander Riders Riding Club Fundraiser to Benefit Children

The Highlander Riders Riding Club of the Greater Chicago area shifted into high gear when the motorcyclists took off to raise funds for children and teens fighting cancer. The engines roared on Sunday, June 4th to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. When the last motorcycle cruised to a stop, the Club had raised an impressive $1,380 to help children and teens fighting cancer.

Highlander Riders Riding Club was founded in 2009, by nine motorcycle enthusiasts of Polish descent living in the Greater Chicago Area. The majority of club members come from the southernmost region of Poland – Podhale, thus the intent of this club is not only to promote the enjoyment of riding motorcycles but also to promote the traditions of Polish Highlanders.

Highlander Riders Riding Club member Patty Bafia said, “We wanted to collect for the Treasure Chest Foundation because we heard how much some people’s families are suffering from the loss of a little one, and we wanted to help. At the end of the day, the kids need a support system, and it branches out to strangers that are willing to be that for them.”

Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel expressed her gratitude for the generous support shown by the Highlander Riders Riding Club members. “The Riding Club’s tremendous support will brighten the lives of so many brave children and teens battling cancer,” said an appreciative Ms. Kisel.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 16,100 young cancer patients in 67 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 30th 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.