Patti Rose Gives to Treasure Chest Foundation

The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) recently received a donation of 1,000’s of toys thanks to a woman who spearheaded fifteen toy drives including ten community-wide drives all in memory of her childhood friends and sisters Cathy and Alison who died of cancer.

Tinley Park resident Patti Rose said, “Fifteen years ago I spoke to my friend’s Mom, Nan Beard, about giving back and she introduced me to the Treasure Chest Foundation, thus I started “Remembering Cathy and Alison” annual holiday toy drive. When you help someone else, it helps you to forget about the stresses in your life. I do this because of what it does for the kids. The generosity of the people brings tears to my eyes.”

The schools and businesses that participated this year included John A. Bannes School, Helen Keller School, Virgil I. Grissom Middle School, Christa McAuliffe School, Millennium Elementary School, Fernway Park Elementary School, Prairie View Middle School, three Dunkin Donuts locations (Mokena, Frankfort and Tinley Park).

POTCF Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel said, “Patti Rose formulated this idea fifteen years ago when she delivered one van load of toys. Fifteen years later Patti dropped off more than six van loads of toys making this one of her best toy drives on record. Patti is truly a rose.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 13,300 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 25th anniversary of remission from the disease earlier this year.

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: Kevin and Patti Rose during the toy donation drop-off at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse. Patti collected 1,000’s of toys for kids battling cancer during the “Remembering Cathy and Alison” holiday toy drives.