Bethshan Association Collects Toys to Help Children Fighting Cancer

Members of the Bethshan Association community in Tinley Park are giving back to children fighting cancer by donating toys to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation and kids fighting cancer. Bethshan member Laurie Daniels spearheaded the toy drive. Laurie said, “I asked my dad, Lee Daniels, if I could collect toys for kids with cancer?” Of course Mr. Daniels said yes.

Founded in 1978, Bethshan Association is a non-profit organization that provides an array of residential environments and services for adults who have cognitive disabilities.

“We are so blessed to have the support of the Bethshan Association community and Laurie Daniels,” said Colleen Kisel, Founder and CEO of the Treasure Chest Foundation. The toys collected will put smiles on the faces of kids battling cancer.

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 2022.

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.