New Lenox Wroble Family Organize Toy Drive to Help Children

New Lenox residents Randy and Paula Wroble hosted a toy drive by asking neighbors, friends and family to donate a toy with the goal of helping children and teens fighting cancer. After the last toy had been picked up, two vanloads of gifts to be distributed to children fighting cancer was delivered to the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) warehouse in Orland Park.

Paula Wroble said, “This is our eighth-year donating toys to kids battling cancer. Our family, neighbors and friends all look forward to participating and making each year better than the last.”

Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel extended her most sincere gratitude to the Wroble family and friends for their efforts in organizing such an innovative and interesting toy drive. “What a great idea they had, asking residents to leave a new toy on their front porch. No one had to drive anywhere. The residents were extremely generous and probably happy to have their donations picked up. And we are certainly grateful to be able to distribute such an impressive number of toys to the brave children and teens battling cancer.”

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.

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.