July 2026 Pool Party & Picnic in the Park

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to host our Pool Party & Picnic in the Park. The weather provided the backdrop, and Childhood Cancer Community (CCC) provided the fun!

July 18th brought more than 175 attendees together for a morning of fun in the Kasson Aquatic Center. CCC filled the pool with inflatables that were enjoyed by people of all ages. The pool offers a zero-depth area all the way up to a diving area, and every one of them were filled with our families. Our teens especially enjoy the exciting slides, diving boards, and climbing walls. And if appetites spiked during all of the fun, snacks and drinks were provided for all.

After a morning filled with water fun, everyone headed over to the adjacent park & pavilion for a delicious lunch. We were treated to a wonderful meal catered by Winona Steak Shop, and served by Hope Lutheran High School of Winona. The meal consisted of baked chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, buttered corn, peaches, brownies, and assorted beverages. It goes without saying that the food was a hit!

To add even more fun to the day, Mrs. Patty’s Sweet Treats Truck was onsite to serve ice-cream treats to everyone. The novelty was getting to pick whatever treat you wanted. There were dozens to choose from and everyone went away happy and full!

And finally, a hit with the children was having Dr. Bob Kurland join us to share his balloon twisting talents. Around 75 children lined up and patiently waited their turn to have Dr. Bob create their favorite character. He is truly talented, and it was a pleasure having him join us for the day!

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the Calvary Evangelical Free Church for providing gifts for our children and teens. Their church’s middle-school students participated in a service day, and during that time, put together this generous gift for Childhood Cancer Community. Each gift consisted of a beach ball gift bag filled with fun goodies. They also provided large floaties for the children to enjoy in the pool!

Of course, bubble machines, pinwheels, candy treats, and the adjacent playgrounds added to all of the fun. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the Kasson Park and Rec Department for the attention they paid to detail for us. They had the pavilion power washed and set up for us. We would also like to thank the Aquatic Center Staff for making the morning so fun for us. They came in early, set up tables, and provided highly professional lifeguards for our event. Thank you Kasson for making us feel so welcomed.

Thank you to our donors for believing in our mission and for supporting all of our programs.

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