A Special Adventure

A Weekend to Just Be a Family Again

Childhood cancer takes so much from a family. Time. Energy. The ordinary things that healthy kids take for granted. A Special Adventure gives a little of that back — a weekend away, inside Iowa, where families can breathe and laugh and make a memory that has nothing to do with a hospital.

Program Overview

Many families navigating childhood cancer can’t travel far from their healthcare providers — the security of staying close to home matters. So A Special Adventure brings the getaway to Iowa, in partnership with Children’s Cancer Connection. Every trip is all-inclusive, designed with these specific families in mind, and filled with the kind of details that tell a family: we thought about you.

Participating families choose from four Iowa-based weekend destinations. In 2025, options included the Iowa State Fair, Honey Creek Resort in Moravia, Lost Island Waterpark in Waterloo, and Bridges Bay Resort at Lake Okoboji.

Each getaway includes two nights’ accommodations, admissions to all activities, gift cards for local restaurants and ice cream shops, and a fully stocked adventure backpack — complete with family t-shirts, a Fujifilm Instax Mini Polaroid camera, a trip journal, and surprise fun boxes to open along the way.

families participated in A Special Adventure in 2025

children experienced a getaway alongside 55 parents

Iowa destinations across trips running May through August

How to Apply

A Special Adventure is available to families in the Children’s Cancer Connection network. If your family is currently connected with CCC and you have questions about eligibility or the application process, reach out directly to their Programs team.

Contact
Laura Noehren, Foundation Program Manager
lnoehren@iowaselect.com or 641-316-3293

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