Orland Park Fire Protection District Helps Extinguish the Pain

The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) recently received 1000’s of toys to benefit children fighting cancer, thanks to the tireless work of the Orland Fire Protection District Stations 2, 4 and 5. The Orland Park-based non-profit Foundation provides comfort and distraction from painful treatments to children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing a toy or gift card in 52 hospitals nationwide.

Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel expressed her appreciation, saying, “The Treasure Chest Foundation is especially grateful for this enormous donation. Thanks to the generosity of the Orland community and the hard work of the Orland Fire Protection District, thousands of children fighting cancer will continue to be rewarded with a toy or gift card for their bravery.”

Ms. Betsy Dine, Public Education Coordinator for the Fire Protection District said, “We want to put a smile on the children’s faces.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 13,000 young cancer patients enduring 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 24th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2017.

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.