The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital construction has been underway for quite some time now and is finally finished. It was built across from Kinnick Stadium where the Iowa Hawkeyes play. If you’ve ever been to Iowa, you know that they take their College Football seriously so of course on the top floor of the hospital there are huge windows so the kids can watch the games live. Some of them for the first time ever!
Construction began on the hospital in 2012, and it was finally finished in Spring of 2017. At the very top of the building is an area called the Press Box Café where the families and kids who are patients can watch the game. The Iowa vs. Wyoming game was the first game of the season that they got to do this and a new tradition has begun. After the first quarter, the entire stadium did the wave. They waved at all the patients watching from the Press Box Café. A touching moment shared by not just Hawk fans but any person who witnessed it.
New Iowa football tradition – waving to the kids watching the game @UIchildrens after the first quarter. Pretty cool: pic.twitter.com/0DcN4MhSA2
— Michele Steele (@ESPNMichele) September 2, 2017
The relationship between the Hawkeyes and the Hospital goes a little further back than this moment. Each year they have a fundraiser for each game called “Touchdowns for Kids” where they encourage people to donate for every touchdown the Hawkeyes make. They also bring out a “kid captain” for each game that gets to hang with the team on the sideline. Coach Ferentz also has a special relationship with the hospital. He and his wife donated a substantial sum to the hospital towards researching and helping premature babies.
The program is called the Savvy Ferentz Program in Neonatal Research. The Ferentz’s lost a granddaughter who was born prematurely at 21 weeks and despite the loss, were grateful for the resources the hospital had to give her a fighting chance. They want to keep research going so that premature babies can get more help. All of this culminates into the heartfelt wave that was witnessed at the game on Saturday.
From all of us to all of you…thank you #Hawkeyes! #NewTradition #IowaProud .@hawkeyefootball .@TheIowaHawkeyes .@TheHawkHeaven ,@bigten pic.twitter.com/twt56eaRvl
— UIChildrens (@UIchildrens) September 3, 2017
The idea to do this actually originated not from the team, but from someone who posted on a fan page stating they thought it would be cool to stand and wave at the hospital after the first quarter. Clearly, the crowd picked up on the idea very quickly.
There were plenty of posts about the wave on various social media platforms, but the Children’s Hospital tweeted a special thank you to the fans with a shot of their view of the wave from the hospital.
Hawkeye fans turn and wave to the Children’s Hospital at the end of the first quarter. New tradition this year. Iowa proud. pic.twitter.com/S3FWHEm2vs
— Matt (@twilek7225) September 2, 2017
All in all, it was an incredible moment for everyone. A reminder that even though you are there for football, life is a little bit bigger than that. Hopefully, the tradition continues for each home game. I’m sure the kids and families at the hospital love feeling a part of the game and having their own tailgate in the press box. Anything that can make them forget about the rest of their struggles, even for a brief moment, is a great thing!
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Video Courtesy: YouTube via 98.1 KHAK
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Source: SBNation
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