Lemont Realty Executives Elite Help Children Fighting Cancer

The employees at Realty Executives Elite in Lemont are making it their business when it comes to children and teens fighting cancer. When the local real estate agency recently hosted an open house and asked their guests to bring a toy donation, more than 100 people arrived at the Lemont location for pictures with Santa, refreshments and a chance to win a $250 Target gift card. When the festive occasion had concluded, the drive had accumulated more than 400 toys, triple the amount from last year, and $25.00 on behalf of the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) to directly benefit children fighting cancer.

The Orland Park-based Treasure Chest Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide comfort to children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing toys from a treasure chest. Realty Executives Elite in Lemont is one of the area’s leading real estate agencies, offering residential and commercial real estate, rentals, foreclosures and more to residents of Lemont, Lockport, Homer Glen, Orland Park and surrounding areas since 1998. When asked about the toy drive, Realty Executives Elite Owner Chris Budz said, “We are always looking for fun local charities to support during the holidays and to give back to the community. We will do this the same time next year!”

Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel said, “We are extremely grateful to Owner Chris Budz and the entire Realty Executives Elite family. It is amazing to receive such a tremendous donation, especially during our important holiday toy drive season.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 13,300 young cancer patients in 54 cancer treatment centers 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.

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:

(Pictured left to right): Lemont Realty Executives Elite toy delivery team members Kathy McKendry, Megan Beechen, Clara McKendry, Cathy Litoborski, Chris Budz, Dan Gleason, Danuta Hansen, Kevin Kwit, and Maribel Salgado-Uttie are shown at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park facility with toys collected to benefit children and teens with cancer.

(Not shown) Karen Doyle, Nora Doyle, Paul Gal, Christine Wilczek, Jason Bacza and Colleen Fejedelem.