Toy Drive Grew Into a Multi-State Charity Effort

A Dallas oil producer and a young cancer patient turned toy collector might seem like an unlikely pairing, but the bond between Gulf Coast Western and the Sadie Keller Foundation has grown into one of the company’s most visible community efforts.

The foundation was started by Sadie Keller, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age seven and missed her second and third grades while undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Her experience in the hospital during the holidays became the inspiration for a foundation focused on getting toys to children stuck in treatment during Christmas.

A Personal Connection

The relationship between Gulf Coast Western and the foundation grew out of a friendship between Sadie Keller and company president Matthew Fleeger. That personal tie has translated into direct financial support. Fleeger donated twenty five thousand dollars specifically to purchase toys for children battling cancer, and employees at Gulf Coast Western made shopping trips of their own to help fill out the foundation’s holiday collection.

When Keller visited the company’s office to collect the donated toys, she was reportedly surprised by how much the staff had gathered on the foundation’s behalf. That single visit reflected years of a partnership that has expanded well past its original scope.

From One Hospital to Eleven

What started as a toy drive benefiting children in a single hospital has since grown to serve cancer patients in eleven hospitals across the country, aided in part by the ongoing support of donors like Gulf Coast Western. The foundation also pushes for greater research funding and public awareness around pediatric cancer, giving its holiday toy collection a broader mission beyond the gifts themselves.

Gulf Coast Western donates to a number of charitable causes each year, but its connection to the Sadie Keller Foundation stands out because of the personal history behind it. For a company built on oil and gas extraction across the Gulf Coast region, the partnership offers a reminder that even heavy industry firms can build lasting ties to causes far removed from their core business. Read this article for related information.

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A Dallas oil producer and a young cancer patient turned toy collector might seem like an unlikely pairing, but the bond between Gulf Coast Western and the Sadie Keller Foundation has grown into one of the company’s most visible community efforts. The foundation was started by Sadie Keller, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia…

A Dallas oil producer and a young cancer patient turned toy collector might seem like an unlikely pairing, but the bond between Gulf Coast Western and the Sadie Keller Foundation has grown into one of the company’s most visible community efforts. The foundation was started by Sadie Keller, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia…