Tinley Park S.A.L.T. Gives to Children and Teens Fighting Cancer

The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation was overjoyed to receive a large donation of 100's of toys, $150 in gift cards and $15 recently from S.A.L.T. located in Tinley Park. S.A.L.T., an acronym for Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, is an organization to further the goals and objectives of the TRIAD, a joint venture between the Cook County Sheriff’s office, the Tinley Park Police Department and the Village of Tinley Park to reduce the criminal victimization of senior citizens. The member’s donation will directly benefit children and teens fighting cancer.

This is the fourth year that S.A.L.T. has hosted a toy drive. When asked what motivated the group to give to the Treasure Chest Foundation, Dina Navas said, “As the coordinator of S.A.L.T., I thought it would be a good idea to help kids with cancer and hopefully brighten their day.”

Treasure Chest Foundation Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel is grateful to receive the donation. Colleen said, “We feel so blessed and honored to have the support of the Seniors and Law Enforcement Together organization. The donation will help support hundreds of children and teens who endure years and years of unending cancer treatments.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,600 young cancer patients in 61cancer 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.