Tinley Park Holiday Toy Drives to Benefit Children with Cancer

Area residents and businesses have an opportunity this holiday season to support children and teens fighting cancer by donating a new toy or gift during the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) annual Holiday Toy Drive.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,000 young cancer patients in 59 cancer treatment centers in 20 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 26th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2019.

Ms. Kisel emphasized the importance of the Foundation’s efforts by saying, “The toys we collect during this Holiday Toy Drive will enable us to continue providing smiles of joy to more than 14,000 children and teens monthly who are battling cancer across the nation.”

Unwrapped, brand new toys or gifts may be dropped off until December 23rd at:

•Byline Bank, 16700 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

•Christa McAuliffe School, 8944 W. 174th St., Tinley Park

•Dunkin’ Donuts, 7935 W. 171st St., Tinley Park

•First Midwest Bank, 17500 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

•First Savings Bank of Hegewisch, 17501 80th Ave., Tinley Park

•Helen Keller School, 7846 W. 163rd St., Tinley Park

•John A. Bannes School, 16835 S. Odell Ave., Tinley Park

•KVH Industries, 8412 185th St., Tinley Park

•Millennium Elementary School, 17830 S. 84th Ave., Tinley Park

•Prairie View Middle School, 8500 W. 175th St., Tinley Park

•Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation (PTSIR), 17236 Harlem Ave.,

Tinley Park

•Republic Bank of Chicago, 8420 W. 171st St., Tinley Park

•Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce, 17316 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

•Tinley Park Park District, 8125 W. 171st St., Tinley Park

•Virgil I. Grissom Middle School, 17000 S. 80th Ave., Tinley Park

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