Painting it Forward for the Treasure Chest Foundation

For the past couple of summers, twelve-year-old Derek Murray of Homer Glen has spent several days during his summer vacations volunteering with his grandmother, Diana Karasek, who is a longtime Foundation volunteer and supporter. Here, Derek is back painting it forward to help the Treasure Chest Foundation.

Diana Karasek, Derek’s grandmother and longtime volunteer said, "It warms my heart to know I make an impact on the kids and teens fighting cancer lives." Her grandson chimed in by saying, "Volunteering is my favorite way to bond with my grandmother while giving back."

“The support of the local community means a lot and we are extremely grateful to Derek for his generosity in volunteering on his summer break,” said Treasure Chest Foundation Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 13,300 young cancer patients in 55 cancer treatment centers 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 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.