On a beautiful, sunny Sunday in Oak Lawn, more than 600 seasoned and new runners and walkers ranging in age from six to 80 years old helped launch the Second Annual Running with the Bulldogs 5K Walk and Run to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF), 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 45 hospitals nationwide.
The ground-breaking, ground-pounding event was initially conceived and organized last year by Richards High School Boys Cross Country Coach Bob Peck, who saw an opportunity to help young cancer patients while providing an excellent format to challenge the athletic skills and endurance of local residents of all ages.
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As with the inaugural run, Peck and the race’s organizers saw to every conceivable detail. Participants encountered mile markers with water stations along the route, and the results were based on chip timing, ensuring the highest accuracy for determining medal winners. And after the last participant had crossed the finish line, an impressive $9,403 had been raised on behalf of brave children and teens battling cancer.
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In describing his motivation for holding the event a second straight year, the innovative and resourceful Peck called the Treasure Chest Foundation “a charity that hits cancer head on right away. Instead of investing money to conduct research (which so many wonderful charitable organizations do) the Treasure Chest Foundation works to keep smiles on the kids’ faces while they are going through such a difficult time in their young lives.” He added, “With the incentive of the toys and gift cards provided by the Foundation, the children have a light at the end of the tunnel after their chemotherapy or other treatments. I’m sure the parents of these children are also eternally grateful for the kind gestures of this great charity.”
Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel expressed her gratitude to Bob Peck for his dedication and support and thanked all of the participants for making the 5K Walk and Run a tremendous success.
“Having such an enormous turnout for this 5K race is a true blessing,” said Ms. Kisel. “I am so appreciative of the unbelievable support of Coach Peck. Money raised from the event will help our Foundation put smiles on the faces of young cancer patients, and I want to congratulate everyone involved on another wonderful endeavor.”
The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 8,600 young cancer patients each month. 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 20th anniversary of remission from the disease earlier this year.
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.
