Tinley Park Teen Austin Carter Donates to Teens Fighting Cancer

Tinley Park teen Austin Carter is giving to teens fighting cancer. Austin Carter (age 19), inspired by his three grandparents who battled cancer, decided to spend his money he saved from working all year to support teens fighting cancer. Austin donated $100 in gift cards to the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. During the past ten years Austin has donated an impressive $450 in gift cards and more than $1,000 in toys to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation.

Austin said, “I used money I saved from working all year because kids battling cancer need it more than I do. This is my tenth year donating to Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. I’m a people person and I always like to put others before me.”

“The support of the local community means a lot and we are extremely grateful to Austin for his generous donation. It was very honorable of him to give up his money from working all year to help teens who are battling cancer.” said Colleen Kisel, Founder and CEO of the Treasure Chest Foundation.

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,000 young cancer patients in 60 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 27th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2020.

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:

Tinley Park teen Austin Carter (age 19) displays $100 in donated gift cards at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse which will help comfort teenage cancer patients. During the past ten years Austin has donated an impressive $450 in gift cards and more than $1,000 in toys to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation.