2025 Season Recap: Extraordinary Giving & Next Level Hawkeye Tailgating
- Dec 1, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 13
As another Hawkeye football season comes to a close, we're taking a moment to reflect on what has truly been an unforgettable year—not just on the field, but in our community.
The 2025 season marked the first full season of the newly established Rose Club Foundation, and thanks to the incredible generosity of our members, sponsors, and fellow Hawkeye fans, it exceeded every expectation. Together, we proved that tailgating can be about much more than football—it can be a force for good.
By the Numbers
The Rose Club Foundation's mission is simple:
To support local charities and causes that are important to our members by harnessing the generosity of our community and the unique opportunity that game day provides to make a meaningful impact.
This season, that mission became reality.
2025 Impact
$15,340 raised through memberships, sponsorships, raffles, and donations
$14,200 donated directly to eight local charities (93% of all funds raised)
$600 in clothing, toys, food, and other essential items donated to organizations in need
Approximately $500 used for operational expenses to support Foundation activities
Beyond financial contributions, our members donated more than 30 toys for Toys for Tots, dozens of pairs of socks for Shelter House, and countless hours of volunteering, organizing, and creating memorable experiences for the organizations we supported.
A Season of Meaningful Partners
Throughout the season, we partnered with organizations making a difference across Eastern Iowa, including:
Langland Family Be a Light Foundation
Why We Wave Foundation
Iowa City Shelter House
Team Breast Friends
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Willis Dady Homeless Services
Toys for Tots
Scouting America
We welcomed families affected by pediatric cancer into our tailgate, celebrated alongside breast cancer warriors, honored military veterans, and helped provide shelter, scholarships, holiday gifts, and hope for hundreds of individuals and families.
These weren't simply donations—they were opportunities to build relationships, share stories, and remind people they're surrounded by a community that cares.
Supporting Hawkeye Student-Athletes
Giving back also means supporting the future of Hawkeye athletics.
In 2025, the Rose Club Foundation contributed $3,000 toward University of Iowa student-athlete NIL initiatives, partnering with athletes and coaching staff to encourage community service while helping student-athletes succeed both on and off the field.
Sustainability Matters
One of the things we're especially proud of is our commitment to being one of the most environmentally conscious tailgates around.
This season we:
Continued using reusable plates, cups, silverware, and water dispensers instead of disposable products.
Aggressively recycled paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum.
Reduced our game-day trash from multiple containers to a single 50-gallon bin.
Donated approximately 20 bags of cans through Hawkeye Cans for Cancer, generating about $400 this year alone for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Over the past five years, those donations have totaled nearly $2,000.
It's a small way to care for our community while also caring for the environment.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
None of this would have been possible without the businesses and individuals who believed in our mission.
A heartfelt thank you to our 2025 sponsors:
Your support allowed us to maximize the impact we made throughout the season.
Thank You to Our Rose Club Family
Finally, thank you to every member, volunteer, donor, sponsor, and guest who made this season possible.
Special thanks to Mitch, Joey, Megan, our Rose Club Foundation Board of Directors, and everyone who gave their time, talents, and generosity throughout the year. Whether you sold raffle tickets, prepared food, organized events, donated prizes, or simply welcomed new faces into our tailgate family, you played an important role in this season's success.
The Rose Club has always been about friends, family, football, and tradition. The Rose Club Foundation has simply given us another way to share those traditions with our community and leave every game day a little better than we found it.
The numbers tell an incredible story:
$15,340 raised
$14,200 donated to charity
Eight organizations supported
Hundreds of lives impacted
But our favorite statistic is one that can't be measured:
The opportunity to spend Saturdays with family, friends, and fellow Hawkeye fans while making a difference in our community...
Priceless.
Thank you for making 2025 an incredible inaugural season for The Rose Club Foundation. We can't wait to see what we'll accomplish together in 2026.
Until next season… Go Hawks! 🖤💛🌹
If you are interested in joining the Rose Club Foundation as a sponsor, please submit an intake form, and we will reach out to you.
