Tinley Park Students Sponsor Friends of Jesus Christmas Project

In the spirit of the season, Julia Esposito (age 10) and Leah McAvoy (age 10) students of St. George School in Tinley Park are giving to children fighting cancer. The school recently sponsored a Friend of Jesus Christmas project. Julia and Leah were both given an anonymous donation of $50 and asked to give away a gift to someone in need this Christmas. Julia said, “I just like that I’m getting to give toys to kids with cancer and see that they are happy. Leah added, “I wanted to do it. Cancer is a difficult thing, my mom had cancer.”

St. George School in Tinley Park holds that each child, as a child of God, has a unique potential that requires continuous development while recognizing his/her cultural diversity. Each student is encouraged to grow toward fulfillment as a total person, spiritually, socially, physically, academically and emotionally.

“The Treasure Chest Foundation is especially grateful to Julia Esposito and Leah McAvoy and the anonymous donors for their donation of toys,” said Ms. Kisel. “It warms my heart to imagine such an awesome project that ultimately brings in toys for kids fighting cancer.”

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.

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.