Orland Park Boy Hosts Fourth Annual Cups 4 Cancer Lemonade Stand

Orland Park IL

03 August, 2021

4:00 PM

Description

Young Austin Bielski (age 11) of Orland Park is giving once again to children and teens fighting cancer. Austin recently held his Fourth Annual "Cups 4 Cancer" Lemonade Stand in front of the family home in Orland Park to benefit the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. At the end of the hot summer two-day event, more than 100 people stopped to quench their thirst and helped Austin's lemonade stand raise $7,675 for the Treasure Chest Foundation, an Orland Park-based, a non-profit organization that provides comfort and distraction from painful procedures to children and teens diagnosed with cancer by providing toys and gift cards in 62 hospitals nationwide. During the past four years, Austin has raised an impressive $10,628.55 to benefit children and teens fighting cancer. Austin wanted to do something to help kids fighting cancer. He liked the idea of a lemonade stand and got to work creating the name. Austin stated, "I wanted to see if we could raise more money than last year." When Austin started four years ago, he said, "back in the day you could sell lemonade for extra money, mom said he had to donate it to someone." Austin's Mom Candice Bielski added, "Just because of Covid, cancer doesn't stop. I don't know if we can top this next year, it started as something small, and it's growing. We made 15 gallons of lemonade the first day and 25 gallons the second." "The POTCF is especially grateful to Austin for his enormous donation of $7,675," said Colleen Kisel, Founder and CEO of the Treasure Chest Foundation. "There are so many kids impacted by childhood cancer today. Just look at what one little boy can do." The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,600 young cancer patients in 62 cancer 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 28th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 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 website at www.treasurechest.org.