‘Shots for kids:’ Popular Iowa football tailgate surpasses $400,000 donated to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital with weekly tradition

IOWA CITY — No one is allowed to touch the two containers of shots until after the National Anthem is played.

It’s after tables are set up with the Venmo QR codes and donation jars set up. There’s a bag of first-timer buttons off to the side and shot skis in front of Bill Polka and Brian Bullock, the two go-to bartenders for the Hawks to Go tailgate tucked around the corner off Melrose Avenue.

Once the anthem is played, AC/DC’s “Back to Black” is played and plastic shot glasses are passed around. A “Go Hawks” chant is called, and the weekly tailgating fundraiser begins ahead of an Iowa football game.

The Polka family have had Hawks to Go for more than a decade, donating money to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the end of every football season. Leading up to the Hawkeye football game against Penn State, the longtime fundraiser surpassed $400,000 raised since its inception — thanks to a day with $10,885 raised.

“It's just unbelievable,” Bill’s brother, Marty, said. “Just seeing some of these people and how generous they are and just how loving they are, it just means so much.”

Ask anyone involved with the tailgate fundraiser, and they aren’t completely sure what season Shots for Kids officially began. The trailer behind the bar holds donation receipts going as far back as 2014, where donations were $5,000 for the entire season.

Now, the Hawks to Go tailgate, which uses a “shots for kids” slogan, raises more than double that in a week. There’s matching donors who help raise the money, too, but the tailgate’s popularity has become a staple before an Iowa football game.

Bill has helped find matching donors for the money made each weekend, which has helped significantly boost the amount Hawks to Go can donate to the hospital every year. Still, surpassing $400,000 was a goal they never thought possible.

“I'll tell you that the way we were going, you know, quarter million would have been great,” Bill said. “All of a sudden,we have found some corporate donors, that will match whatever we raise. And so we've been able to match dollar-for-dollar, every penny raised. And so that made a huge difference.”

In fact, Bill and Marty didn’t go to Iowa. They both grew up watching the Hawkeyes with their parents, and become lifelong fans that way.

The decision to donate to the children’s hospital was in honor of Bill Polka’s son, Zach, who had surgery for a soft spot in his head coach as child. The surgery saved his life, and as the Hawks to Go tailgate grew more popular, the decision to donate to the hospital became the obvious choice.

“The surgery they did, they saved his life,” Bill said “So we said, ‘hey, let's just give it to the kids. Let's give it to the hospital.’ And became the inspiration, and one thing led to another.”

There’s always two kinds of shots to choose from. There’s the staple Iowa drink that’s meant to match the Hawkeye gold. Then, they come up with a flavor and color to match whichever team Iowa’s playing each week.

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Bullock’s job is making the drinks, but the responsibility for the flavor and color falls on the Polkas. Bill, Marty and their wives all pick out what flavor to do and what color it should be every week.

Against Penn State, the Polkas landed on a white colored shot.

The group packs more than 2,000 plastic shot cups ahead of football games, and usually expects to refill the shot containers two or three times every tailgate. Though the first few hours are a little slower, the closer to kickoff, the more packed the tailgate gets — sometimes reaching well over 1,500 people stopping by.

“It's fun seeing everybody,” Marty’s wife, Lori, said. “Everyone comes over, and everyone's like, excited to come do shot before the before they go to the game. And you’re surprised to who shows up.”

Though it started as something simple, the Hawks to Go fundraiser has become a staple in the Polka family’s football pregame schedule. Everyone chips into the planning and execution of the tailgate, from the set up, to food and just welcoming in those wanting to participate in the pregame party.

“We wouldn't do this if it wasn't fun,” Marty said. “It just amazes me.”

It’s chaotic at times, but it’s the kind of chaotic they cherish every Saturday before kickoff.

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