The Pediatric Oncology
Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) will hold its Fifth Annual Treasuring Our
Kids Sport-A-Palooza on Saturday, April 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at
Chicago Gaelic Park, 6119 W. 147th Street in Oak Forest. The
Treasure Chest Foundation is an Orland Park-based, non-profit organization that
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.
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The Sport-A-Palooza will help the Treasure Chest
Foundation obtain the necessary funding to aid children battling cancer
throughout Chicagoland and across the nation. Every year, approximately 13,500
children and teens are diagnosed with cancer nationwide and cancer remains the
leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United
States.
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This year’s gala will offer exciting auctions
beginning at 6:00 p.m., with the event’s featured prizes including four Walt
Disney World one-day park hopper passes and a Gibson Les Paul guitar valued at
$3,200. A buffet dinner at 7:00 p.m. will be followed by a festive night of
music during which guests can showcase their dancing skills while enjoying an
open bar and delicious food in a fun-filled setting.
Sport-A-Palooza attendees will also have a chance to
meet and greet baseball legends Dan Pasqua, a former member of the New York
Yankees and Chicago White Sox, and Milt Pappas, who pitched for 17 years for
four major league teams including the Chicago Cubs. The evening will be emceed
by Fox32 Chicago sports personality Dionne Miller, a veteran sports reporter
who has covered NBA basketball, college football and anchored sportscasts in
several states across the nation. Ms. Miller is recognized for her ability to
relate to the audience, tell great stories and share the passion of sports viewers
at every level.
The Treasure Chest Foundation is asking individuals
and businesses to donate an auction or raffle prize, making it a great
opportunity to gain exposure while supporting a worthy cause. To arrange for a
pickup call 708-687-TOYS (8697) or drop off your donation at the Treasure Chest
Foundation.
The POTCF’s unique services impact more than 9,000
young cancer patients each month in 46 hospitals across 16 states nationwide and
the District of Columbia. 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 will
celebrate his 21st anniversary of remission from the disease in early 2014.
