Northwestern Mutual, Special Spaces Recognize 10-Year Anniversary of Company’s Childhood Cancer Program with 10 Dream Bedroom Makeovers

HGTV star Mina Starsiak Hawk collaborates on latest bedroom reveal for a child in her hometown

MILWAUKEE – November 17, 2022 – In recognition of its Childhood Cancer Program’s 10-year anniversary, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, collaborated with Special Spaces to surprise 10 children across the U.S. affected by childhood cancer with dream bedroom makeovers.

A childhood cancer diagnosis changes every aspect of a child’s life. Attending doctor’s appointments, visiting the hospital, and receiving treatments and surgeries all contribute to kids being out of their comfort zone. Together, Northwestern Mutual and Special Spaces created spaces where children can escape from the realities of their cancer diagnosis, and simply enjoy being a kid.

“Every child deserves a special place at home to call their own, and it is especially invaluable for children with cancer to have a place where they can escape their worries and regain their strength after doctor appointments, treatment, and hospital visits,” said Steve Radke, President of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “At this milestone anniversary, our commitment to creating moments of happiness for children with cancer has never been stronger, and our dedicated volunteers are making it happen by creating dream bedrooms for children across the country.”

Partnership Launch: Milwaukee
The partnership kicked off during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Northwestern Mutual’s hometown of Milwaukee, surprising Autumn, a brave eight-year-old who loves the outdoors and is currently facing leukemia, with a newly designed room to call her own.

Dedicated volunteers from the company’s Milwaukee-based Lueder Financial Group and Holter Financial Group worked tirelessly to bring Autumn’s vision to life and create a space for her to sleep, play, heal and spend time away from the challenges of her illness. Inspired by Autumn’s love for the outdoors, sunshine, and stars, the crew of volunteers worked together to paint the room, create custom decorations, and organize the space with new furniture to fit the theme. During the big reveal, Autumn was surprised with her dream bedroom, which has an outdoorsy feel, complete with a special campsite area featuring a toy campfire for her and her family and friends to enjoy.

Refreshed Bedrooms from Buffalo to Boca Raton
Throughout the fall, volunteers from Northwestern Mutual's local offices surprised children affected by cancer with a dream bedroom makeover in Dubuque, Iowa, Buffalo, New York, Chicago, Illinois, Chattanooga, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, Omaha, Nebraska, Cleveland, Ohio and Boca Raton, Florida.

  • Ten-year-old Timmy of Dubuque is currently in treatment for leukemia. He is an avid gamer, and he was gifted an arcade-themed room.
  • Six-year-old Shea of the Buffalo area is facing optic pathway glioma. She dreamed of a fluffy bedroom filled with unicorns, and Northwestern Mutual’s volunteers helped bring her vision to life, creating a cloud-shaped bed.
  • Four-year-old Michaela of Chicago, who is affected by anaplastic ependymoma, was gifted a dream bedroom full of princesses, unicorns and glitter.
  • Eight-year-old Olivia of the Chattanooga area is facing neuroblastoma. Her dreams of becoming a YouTube sensation, and her bedroom was designed for a future vlogger, complete with a ring light, microphones, and more.
  • Four-year-old Alexander of the St. Louis area, who is facing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), dreamt of a room filled with animals. Northwestern Mutual's volunteers helped bring his vision to life through a jungle-themed bedroom, complete with a tree swing.
  • Five-year old Reagyn of Omaha was gifted a brand-new sanctuary full of rainbows, sunflowers and brightness ahead of her sixth birthday.
  • 14-year-old Rudy of Cleveland, who is currently facing fibrolamellar carcinoma, was gifted a sleek and modern new bedroom to call his own, with plenty of shelving space to display his favorite Lego sets.
  • Nine-year-old London, who is currently receiving treatments stemming from a rare brain tumor, was gifted a bedroom that reminds him of vintage trains.

Hometown Help: Indianapolis
To close out the partnership, Northwestern Mutual teamed up with Indianapolis, Indiana native and HGTV Good Bones star, Mina Starsiak Hawk, to create a dream bedroom makeover for Luke, a ten-year-old from Indianapolis who is in active treatment for leukemia.

Starsiak Hawk consulted with the Special Spaces design team to make Luke’s vision of a WWII fighter plane-themed room a reality. Alongside dedicated volunteers from Northwestern Mutual’s Indianapolis-based office, Starsiak Hawk and Special Spaces surprised Luke with a freshly painted mural, new furniture, and an aviator wing desk.

Since 2012, Northwestern Mutual has been committed to accelerating the search for better treatments and cures for childhood cancer, while also supporting families undergoing treatment and survivors struggling with lasting effects. With the help of its dedicated employees and network of financial advisors, the company has contributed more than $45 million to the cause and has funded more than 520,000 hours of pediatric oncology research.

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $400 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company’s employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and wealth and investment management services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

For further information, contact:
Kyra Koepp, 1-800-323-7033
[email protected]