Members of a Tinley Park family representing three generations are giving back to children fighting cancer by labeling toys and making gift bags to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF). Family members include long-time volunteer Amber Holup who convinced her mom, April Holup, along with big sister Sarah Holup and grandmother Edith Ragsdale to volunteer at the Foundation. The Orland Park-based, not-for-profit organization provides comfort and distraction from painful procedures to children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing a toy or gift card in 46 hospitals nationwide.
Amber Holup, who has pitched in many times at the Treasure Chest Foundation’s Orland Park warehouse over the years, had positive reactions to her experience. Amber said, “We came to the Treasure Chest Foundation to make an impact in the lives of these brave children and teens. Our family found that volunteering was a great way to bond while giving back.”
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POTCF Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel is grateful for the Holup family’s support. Colleen said, “We are incredibly proud to host three generations of one family who willingly made the decision to work for children fighting cancer. It takes hours to sort through our collection of toys and create such appealing gift bags for the children and teens we serve. We are truly blessed to have the incredible support of the Holup family.”
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The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 9,000 young cancer patients each month in 46 hospitals across 16 states and 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. She 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 will celebrate his 21st anniversary of remission from the disease in early 2014.
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.
