Oak Forest Teens Help Teens Fighting Cancer

Oak Forest Teen Activity Group (T.A.G.) from Acorn Public Library are giving back to teens fighting cancer. The teen group collected toys and gift cards all with the aim of benefiting the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation.

This is the 5th annual drive sponsored by the Teen Activity Group (T.A.G.) from Acorn Public Library in Oak Forest. Becky Conte, Youth Services Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator said, “The teens want to give back to the community through service and this helps them instill values. I asked the teens to try and walk in the shoes of a teen fighting cancer. The teens want to give to kids their own age.” After a month of collecting, the Teen Activity Group (T.A.G.) brought in toys, fits for teens and $350 in gift cards.

“The support of the local community means a lot and we are extremely grateful for this generous donation. It was very honorable of The Teen Activity Group to help teens who are battling cancer,” said Colleen Kisel, Founder and CEO of the Treasure Chest Foundation. “Because of this huge display of generosity, the program continues to support children and teens fighting cancer monthly in our nation.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,000 young cancer patients in 58 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.

Photo caption:

Becky Conte Youth Services Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator from the Acorn Public Library in Oak Forest and Teen Activity Group (T.A.G.) Coordinator displays the donated toys, gifts for teens and gift cards at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse. The donation will bring smiles of joy to thousands of teens battling cancer across the nation.