Holiday Toy Drives to Benefit Children with Cancer

Area residents and businesses have an opportunity this holiday season to support children and teens fighting cancer by donating a new toy or gift during the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) annual Holiday Toy Drive.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,000 young cancer patients in 59 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 26th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2019.

Ms. Kisel emphasized the importance of the Foundation’s efforts by saying, “The toys we collect during this Holiday Toy Drive will enable us to continue providing smiles of joy to more than 14,000 children and teens monthly who are battling cancer across the nation.”

Unwrapped, brand new toys or gifts may be dropped off until December 20th at:

•American School Bus Company, 10000 W. 167th St., Orland Park

•B.A.I., 115 S. LaSalle St., Suite 3300, Chicago

•Bonding and Insurance Specialist Agency, 13841 Southwest Highway,

Orland Park

•Bannes School, 16835 S. Odell, Tinley Park

•Berglund Construction Company, 8410 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago

•Berglund Construction Company, 111 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago

•Berglund Construction Company, 125 Venturi Drive, Chesterton, IN

•Byline Bank, 16700 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

•Christa McAuliffe School, 8944 W. 174th St., Tinley Park

•Dunkin’ Donuts, 19420 S. Harlem, Frankfort

•Dunkin’ Donuts, 14320 Town Center Drive, Homer Glen

•Dunkin’ Donuts, 8810 W. 191st Street, Mokena

•Dunkin’ Donuts, 1201 W. Jefferson, Shorewood

•Dunkin’ Donuts, 7935 W. 171st St., Tinley Park

•Evergreen Real Estate Group, 566 W. Lake St., Suite 400, Chicago

•Evergreen Senior Living, 10820 183rd St., Orland Park

•Expert Pain Physicians, 10750 143rd St., Orland Park

•Federal Signal Corporation, 2645 Feneral Signal Drive, University Park

•Fernway Park Elementary School 16600 S. 88th Ave., Orland Park

•Firehouse Gaming Lounge, 13447 S. Cicero Ave., Crestwood

•Firehouse Tattoos, 12740 West Cal Sag Road, Crestwood

•First Midwest Bank, 13500 S. Cicero Ave., Crestwood

•First Midwest Bank, 17500 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

•First Savings Bank of Hegewisch, 17501 80th Ave., Tinley Park

•Gap Outlet, 2778 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

•Gizmo’s Fun Factory, 66 Orland Square Dr., Orland Park

•Grissom School, 17000 S. 80th Ave., Tinley Park

•Helen Keller School, 7846 W. 163rd St., Tinley Park

•Homer Dental Care, Dr. Gregory Stern, 14320 Town Center Dr.,

Homer Glen

•Hodges Chiropractic, 921 Ridge Rd., Munster, IN

•House of Music, 14426 John Humphrey Drive, Orland Park

•John A. Bannes School, 16835 S. Odell Ave., Tinley Park

•J N J Complete Auto Care, 15627 S. 70th Court, Orland Park

•Keller Williams Elite Realty, 4544 W. 103rd St., Oak Lawn

•KVH Industries, 8412 185th St., Tinley Park

•Lee R. Foster Elementary School, 5931 School St., Oak Forest

•McAuliffe School, 7846 163rd St., Tinley Park

•Millennium Elementary School, 17830 S. 84th Ave., Tinley Park

•Oak Forest High School, 15201 Central Ave., Oak Forest

•Orland Fire Protection District 2, 15100 S. 80th Ave., Orland Park

•Orland Fire Protection District 4, 16515 S. 94th Ave., Orland Hills

•Orland Fire Protection District 5, 8851 W. 143rd St., Orland Park

•Peace Community Preschool, 21300 S. La Grange Road, Frankfort

•Plush Horse, 12301 S. 86th Ave., Palos Park

•Prairie View Middle School, 8500 W. 175th St., Tinley Park

•Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation (PTSIR), 17236 Harlem Ave.,

Tinley Park

•Quality Saw & Seal, 7600 W. 79th St., Bridgeview

•Remembering Cathy & Alison Toy Drive, 17030 Odell Ave., Tinley Park

•Republic Bank of Chicago, 8420 W. 171st St., Tinley Park

•Smooth Ink Sports, Inc., 26 Ash St., Frankfort

•St. Spyridon Orhodox Church Sunday School, 12307 Ridgeland Ave.,

Palos Heights

•State Farm Insurance, Jim Fuentes and Matt’s TV, 17256 Oak Park Ave.,

Tinley Park

•Thomas Place, 15415 S. Harlem, Orland Park

•Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce, 17316 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

•Tinley Park Park District, 8127 W. 171st St., Tinley Park

•Treasure Chest Foundation, 15430 70th Court, Orland Park

•UPS District Office, 1 UPS Way, Hodgkins

•Village of Crestwood, 13840 S. Cicero Ave., Crestwood

•Virgil I. Grissom Middle School, 17000 S. 80th Ave., Tinley Park

•Waterford Estates, 17400 Kedzie Ave., Hazel Crest

•Worthwoods School, 11000 S. Oketo Ave., Worth

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