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Children's Cancer Support Foundation Adds 49th "Treasure Chest" to Oklahoma City Children's Clinic Thanks to Support from Oklahoma-Based Riley Exploration GroupThe Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Children in Oklahoma City received an unexpected gift today, and the Illinois-based Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) reached a major milestone with the opening of its 49th Treasure Chest Program. 
A pediatric oncology patient at The Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Children in Oklahoma City ceremoniously cuts the ribbon of the new Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (POTCF) treasure chest thanks to the founding sponsorship by Riley Exploration Group. This marks a major milestone for POTCF with the opening of its 49th Treasure Chest Program, www.treasurechest.org. (Photo: Business Wire) Funded by Oklahoma-based Riley Exploration Group, the Treasure Chest Program will provide toys and gift cards to pediatric cancer patients during their treatments to help bring some comfort and relief for hundreds of childhood cancer patients. Riley Exploration Group, an independent oil and gas company founded in 2012 in Blanchard, specifically sought out the program to bring to Oklahoma City. "It is an honor to support this program that directly impacts pediatric cancer patients as they are dealing with this devastating disease. We all have personal stories of loved ones or friends who have fought cancer and we want to do whatver we can to make this experience a better one, particularly for the children and teens," said Riley Exploration Group CEO Bobby Riley. The Treasure Chest Program, a not-for-profit organization, supports more than 9,300 children and teens each month who are diagnosed with cancer by providing a toy, gift or gift card in 49 hospitals nationwide. CEO Colleen Kisel founded the organization in 1996 after her then seven-year-old son Martin was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. Colleen discovered that giving her son a toy after each procedure provided a calming distraction from his pain. Martin celebrated his 22nd anniversary of remission from the disease earlier this year. "We have come a long way and are so excited to open the 49th Treasure Chest Program. None of this would be possible without the support of Riley Exploration Group. They are silent heroes in the lives of so many children and teens fighting cancer," said Colleen Kisel, founder, Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. The Jimmy Everest Center was established in honor of James "Jimmy" Christopher Everest who died in 1992 at the age of 17 after a brave bout with bone cancer. The center offers state-of-the-art medical diagnosis and treatment featuring Oklahoma's only pediatric stem cell transplantation staff. "The children at the Jimmy Everest Center often undergo painful procedures during their chemotherapy treatments. A visit to the Treasure Chest can help them briefly forget these procedures. Simple offerings of toys are special to these children as a statement that everything is complete and it's time to return to their world of being a child, not the clinic world, in which they have no choices," said Nurse Manager Shirley Harris, R.N., Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases in Children. Founded in January 2012, Riley Exploration Group, LLC (Riley) is a privately-held exploration and production (E&P) company. With headquarters in Blanchard, Oklahoma and two Texas satellite offices in Austin and La Grange, Riley is focused on the acquisition, exploration, and production of crude oil in South Texas. The company's website is www.RileyExplorationGroup.com. If you would like further information about the Treasure Chest Foundation, contact Colleen Kisel at 708-687-TOYS (8697) or visit the Foundation's website at www.treasurechest.org.
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