Orland Park Holiday Toy Drives to Benefit Children with Cancer

Area residents and businesses have an opportunity this holiday season to support children and teens fighting cancer by donating a new toy or gift during the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) annual Holiday Toy Drive.

The POTCF is a non-profit organization that provides comfort and distraction from painful procedures to children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing a toy, gift or gift card in 49 hospitals nationwide. Nowhere else in the nation does such a program exist. CEO 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 22nd anniversary of remission from the disease earlier this year.

Ms. Kisel emphasized the importance of the Foundation’s efforts by saying, “The toys we collect during this Holiday Toy Drive will enable us to continue providing smiles of joy to more than 9,300 children and teens monthly who are battling cancer across the nation.”

Unwrapped, brand new toys or gifts may be dropped off November 28th through December 23rd at these locations:

*Treasure Chest Foundation, 15430 70th Ct. Orland Park

*Pigtails and Crewcuts, 14225 95th Ave. Ste. 414, Orland Park

*Orland Park Fire Department Station 2, 15100 S. 80th Ave., Orland Park

*Orland Park Fire Department Station 4, 16515 S. 94th Ave., Orland Hills

*Orland Park Fire Department Station 5, 8851 W. 143rd St., Orland Park

*Massage Envy, 15159 S. La Grange Rd., Orland Park

*Dave & Busters, 49 Orland Square Dr., Orland Park

*Great American Bagel, 9189 W. 151st St., Orland Park

*Ameriprise Financial, 15030 S. Ravinia Ave., Suite 39, Orland Park

*Automedics, 13751 SW Hwy, Orland Park

*Fernway Park Elementary School, 16600 S 88th Ave., Orland Park

*Intellect Learning Center, 11979 143rd S., Orland Park

*Let’s Polka U.S.A., 14500 S. La Grange, Orland Chateau, Orland Park

*St. Francis of Assisi Church, 15050 Wolf Road, Orland Park

*Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S Ravinia Ave., Orland Park

*Thomas Place, 15415 S. Harlem Ave., Orland Park

* Brannigan Chiropractic, 1400 Ravinia Place, Orland Park

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