Patti Rose Gives to Treasure Chest Foundation in Memory of Girlfriends

The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation recently received a donation of 1,000'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, “Nineteen 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, Tinley Park, Dunkin Donuts (three locations: Mokena, Frankfort and Shorewood), Fusion Academy in Oak Brook, Homer Dental in Homer Glen and Moran Family of Brands in Orland Park.

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

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.