"To help children (and their families) who are facing significant medical issues, to provide funds for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital for care of children, and to engage Iowa Hawkeye fans to have a common cause in 2010 which will have a significant impact on the lives of children, and to have some fun with this endeavor." - Touchdown for Kids Mission Statement

I stayed with my wife and son at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital when my son had surgery last fall. The staff at the hospital was excellent and the facility was nice. We were there just a couple of days in recovery, but it really was as good of an experience as you can have when your kid is having surgery.

So when I found out about this opportunity to give back to the hospital just a few days ago, I wanted to share it with everyone else. Touchdowns for Kids is a program to raise money for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. It uses a pledge per touchdown model, so the donations will be proportional to how well the Hawkeyes perform on the field. Iowa scored 35 touchdowns last year, 48 in 2008, and just 28 in 2007. I'll let you do the math, but a couple of bucks per touchdown would be a pretty nice donation.

The Iowa Football program already partners with the UI Children's Hospital for other programs. The Kid Captain program is entering it's second year which will give 12 more kids an amazing opportunity. Many of the football players also spend time with kids at the hospital, which most notably is recognized by Ricky Stanzi's pink "Pray for Princess Jenna" bracelet that he wears.

Anyway, if you want to pledge check out the Touchdown For Kids website or here's a link directly to the pledge form.