Patti Rose Gives to Treasure Chest Foundation

The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation recently received a donation of 100's of toys thanks to a woman who spearheaded a community-wide toy drive in memory of her childhood friends and sisters Cathy and Alison who died of cancer.

Tinley Park resident Patti Rose said, “Eighteen 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, and Prairie View Middle School (all located in Tinley Park), Rich and Teresa Mommsen, Karen and Jennifer Mommsen, Dunkin Donuts (three locations: Tinley Park, Frankfort and Shorewood) and Berglund Construction (four locations: South Chicago, Downtown Chicago, Chesterton, IN., and Milwaukee, WI.).

POTCF Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel said, “Patti Rose formulated this idea eighteen years ago when she delivered one van load of toys. Eighteen years later Patti continues to drop off van loads of toys. Patti is truly a rose.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,800 young cancer patients in 63 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 28th 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.

Photo caption: Patti Rose from Tinley Park (right) and Amanda Ross from Indiana at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse display the impressive toy donations collected during the community-wide drive. Patti Rose and her family collected 100's of toys for kids battling cancer during the “Remembering Cathy and Alison” Annual Holiday Toy Drive.