Orland Park Police Officers Band Together to Help Children with Cancer

Orland Park Police Officers Brandon Eppolito and Tony Carone are members of a band called “Echo Five.” In the spirit of giving, the band sponsored a toy drive during a recent show hosted at Coaches Corner Sports Bar and Grill in Orland Park. Over 100 people attended the show on December 9th. When the last note played, Echo Five and Coaches Corner Bar and Grill collected two van loads of toys, $5,490 and $60 in gift cards to benefit children fighting cancer.

When asked about the toy drive, Orland Park Police Officer and Band member Brandon Eppolito said, “We have been collecting toys for children with cancer for nine years now and we thought it was a good idea to collect the toys during our event at Coaches Corner. We asked all the guests to bring a new toy to the event and it was a great success.”

Colleen Kisel, Founder and CEO of the Treasure Chest Foundation, recognizes and appreciates the impact of the annual holiday toy drive. “We are extremely grateful to Officer Brandon Eppolito and the entire Echo Five Band. It is amazing to receive such a tremendous donation and overwhelming support of such a generous community,” said Colleen.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 16,100 young cancer patients in 66 cancer treatment centers in 21 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 29th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of this year.

If you would like further information about the Treasure Chest Foundation, please contact Colleen Kisel at 1-708-687-TOYS (8697) or visit the Foundation’s website at www.treasurechest.org.