A “WAVE” OF 70,000 HUGE FOAM GOLD HANDS WAVING BACK, WITH THE UNIFIED MESSAGE TO “KEEP FIGHTING!”

When we first saw 70,000 people “Wave” on a Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, it lifted our hearts. All of those fans and players pausing the game, just to recognize those very young patients watching from the most important seats at Kinnick, stirred us to our core. That moment of inspiration sparked a question: How can we honor this wonderful new tradition, raise money for those fighters looking down, and send a message of support, returning the inspiration they give us?

Our friends at Northwestern Mutual came up with an idea. Imagine those same warriors, looking down on those 70,000 people, but now they see a “Wave” of huge foam gold hands waving back, with the unified message to “KEEP FIGHTING!”

We liked the idea so much we ran with it. We hope you’ll like it so much that you’ll want a “Keep Fighting” hand too! You can purchase a foam hand here and have it shipped to your house, pick it up at a local Northwestern Mutual branch, or buy one in person at FryFEST on August 31st!

Where does the money go?

All proceeds raised from the #WaveToTheKids campaign will be donated to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital (by way of the University of Iowa Dance Marathon), Children's Cancer Connection, and used to purchase more hands to sell. No logos of donors on the hands, no advertising on the hands, no sales pitches, just our message of solidarity, “Keep Fighting”.

Where did the foam hand idea come from?

The idea and initial donation were brought to us from our friends at Northwestern Mutual. They pitched the idea. We loved it. Then they cut a check to get this thing off the ground by purchasing the first 2,000 hands to sell!

Who’s involved?

It’s a partnership of volunteers and organizations (Northwestern Mutual, Children's Cancer Connection, University of Iowa Dance Marathon, and Beat Cancer Today) trying to do their part for the children and families looking down from their rooms and hospital beds. It’s that simple. No salaries to pay and the only expense is the cost to print and ship the hands!

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa Wave is trademarked by The Iowa Wave Shirt, LLC. If you're looking for an Iowa Wave Shirt, check them out here!