Childhood Cancer Butter Cow

CCC mom Janie Ostrem was awarded one of the “butter cows” that was on display at the Iowa State Fair this past week. Janie submitted an idea that involved having childhood cancer patients paint the cow, and then it would be displayed throughout the fair.
Janie painted the body of the cow and then brought the120 pound butter cow to the Blank Children’s Hospital Clinic to be finished. Children and families at the clinic pressed their hand prints onto the quilt of the cow.

Here are a few of the CCC families that spotted the Childhood Cancer Cow while enjoying the Iowa State Fair!

Garrett and Wyatt Kruse

Amanda Ostrem

Janie, Amanda, and Brynn Ostrem

Group picture provided by Janie Ostrem

Did you see the Childhood Cancer Cow at the Iowa State Fair? Send your pictures to Sarah@ChildrensCancerConnection.org to be added to the blog!

Thursday at Camp Heart Connection

Breakfast today was delicious, again. The kitchen crew has done an awesome job of keeping all of the campers and staff well-fed this week.

The annual camp basketball tournament started in the morning and continued throughout the day. The players had a good time and the top teams even got medals!

It was a great day for the pool after the tournament. The little ones jumped in and out of the pool, there were numerous water fights, and the older campers enjoyed going down the water slide.

Wednesday the girls had Aunt Fifi’s Princess Party, but Thursday was all about the boys. Mortimer’s Boys Only NASCAR Party was a huge hit. The boys were able to relax together after a day of activities and have a few afternoon snacks.

After dinner the campers got ready for the "All Camp Dance." The ladies had their hair and make-up done, and the guys put on their best t-shirts for the event. The All Camp Dance is a place for all of the campers to come together and bust a move. There was great music and everyone spent some time on the dance floor! Everyone was tired by the end of this night as today was busy, busy, busy.

Here are a few photos to take a look at:

Wednesday at Camp Heart Connection!

Wednesday was another great day at Camp Heart Connection!

The day kicked off with a great breakfast and polar bear swim at the pool. Then the campers headed down to the field where the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad's train picked us all up at Camp and we got to ride the train!  The trip had great views and we took a lot of good pictures.

After the train ride, it was back to Camp for lunch. During the afternoon all of the regular activities opened for the campers. The teens climbed the rock wall, the little boys rode the horses and all of little girls headed to "Aunt FiFi's Princess Party!" Before the party started the girls stopped by "Aunt FiFi's Dress Shop" and picked out their attire for the Princess Party. The older boys escorted the lovely ladies down to the party where they had snacks and put together a special princess-themed craft. 

In the evening we held "Camps Got Talent," the all-Camp talent show. After the talent show, the campers and counselors headed out to the woods for a campfire where they heard from Aunt FiFi. Aunt FiFi is the magical being that looks over Camp. She, along with her magical pet alligator Mortimer, make sure that all the cabins are clean, all the campers are getting along, and she even leaves special presents and notes around Camp for those who are good!

We had another eventful, jam-packed day! Here are a few photos from the day: (Click on the photos to view them in a larger format.) 

Tuesday at Camp Heart Connection

A little rain didn’t get us down! All of the Camp activities were open and campers had a lot to do today.

Campers enjoyed time on the zip line, horseback riding, making stained-glass projects in Arts and Crafts, and the rock-climbing wall.

After another delicious dinner and an ice cream social, a few different activities opened up for the cabins. The crew from the Big Wheel Rally came up to Camp and brought a few of their custom big wheels for a big wheel race. There was also a game of Capture the Flag on the field.

Later in the evening campers had the option of attending the “Drive-in” Disney movie Cars. After the movie it was lights out so we could all get enough sleep for Wednesday!

Thanks for stopping by! Here are a few photos from the day: