Illinois Department of Transportation District 1 Delivers Toys

The employees at Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) District 1 in Schaumburg are giving to children fighting cancer by collecting toys and gifts to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF). The toy drive was held in “Loving Memory of Alex Doukas” and when it was over the IDOT employees had collected an impressive van load of toys along with $300.

The POTCF is an Orland Park-based non-profit organization that has been comforting children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing toys from a treasure chest for more than two decades. The Illinois Department of Transportation’s roots can be traced back over a century. For as long as there have been cars, highways and air traffic, there has been an Illinois transportation agency. Serving one of the most populous urban areas in the nation, IDOT’s District 1, located in northeastern Illinois, includes the state’s most recognizable city, Chicago. This region is home to six counties including Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, Dupage and Will.

When asked about the motivation behind the toy drive, IDOT Special Events Committee Chairman Pete Stresino said, “Alex Doukas was the daughter of one of our employees. Unfortunately, she lost her battle with cancer at a very young age, so the company wanted to help out kids like Alex who are in need. This was a great way to boost the morale of our employees while helping out a very worthy cause.”

Colleen Kisel, Founder of the Treasure Chest Foundation, added, “We are especially grateful to the Illinois Department of Transportation and Pete Stresino for spearheading such an enormous toy drive and for the generous employees who participated in the toy drive. We are blessed to have their support.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 13,300 young cancer patients enduring an estimated 20,000 clinic visits each month in 19 states across the nation. 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 25th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2018.

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.

Photo caption:

Illinois Department of Transportation employees Shalea Brown, Nina Marczyk, Criss Mandera, Tina Kownacki, Pete Stresino, Cathy Thrailkill, Kari Smith and Gloria Powers gathered at their Schaumburg location to display the enormous donation of toys and $300 collected during their toy drive held in “Loving Memory of Alex Doukas.”