Join the fun!

Join us for our third annual softball game, where we raise essential funds to grant wishes throughout Iowa!

Wishes on Deck

An All-Star Softball Game Making Iowa Wishes Come True

  • Who: Star collegiate sports players from Iowa universities
  • Where: Legion Field - 217 Georgetown Rd, Iowa Falls, IA 50126
  • When: June 22, 2025
  • Why: To create life-changing wish experiences for children with critical illnesses

Schedule of Events

All guests must check-in at registration to receive a wristband.
Day of tickets will be available to purchase at registration.

  • 2:30 p.m.

    VIP gates open

  • 3 p.m.

    General admission gates open

  • 3:30 to 5 p.m.

    Autograph Zone*
    Located in the Armory

  • 5:15 p.m.

    Special welcome, national anthem and first pitch

$10 for an autograph from your favorite player; $20 for a signature football, special for this event!

Fun Zone

Located in the second softball field

  • Food Trucks

    Babes
    Taco Shack
    SkyKone

  • Hy-Vee Food Tent

    Providing meals for $8
    Food vouchers will be accepted at the Hy-Vee food tent.

  • Activities

    Yard Games available such as Oversized Jenga, Connect 4, and Bean Bag Toss.
    Face Painter – provided by IFA art students

  • Sport Activities

    Various sports drills with Ellsworth Community College & Iowa Falls-Alden football team.

Auction is LIVE

Bid on signed items from the athletes, including Wishes on Deck jerseys!

Located in The Fun Zone

Start the Bidding

Become the Bat Boy/Bat Girl

Want to be the Bat Boy/Bat Girl for one of the teams? Participate in the Live Auction before the game starts. The winner for each team will receive an MVP jersey to wear while the teams play the softball game!

Wish Family Room

Wish Families are invited to our Wish Family Room. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Gift Bags will be available to wish families (while supplies last).

Located in the Armory

Autograph Zone - Located in the Armory

$10 for an autograph from your favorite player; $20 for a signature football, special for this event!

Other merchandise will be available to bring into the signature line, including the 2025 Wishes on Deck T-Shirt ($25 each). 

Strike a pose at the photo station and capture the moment!

Seating Information

  • General admission tickets include access to limited bleacher seating around the softball field. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the game from the grassy areas.
  • Guests are welcome to bring a cooler with their own beverages.

Parking Information

  • General admission parking is marked as "General Parking" on the event map. We recommend arriving early to secure the best available spot. Additional parking is available at Bethany Luteran Church.
  • Handicap parking will be available near the registration area, just past the Armory parking lot.

Sponsor Information

  • At Bat for Wishes sponsors and up will be provided a tailgating spot in our VIP Tailgate Lot! You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages to tailgate before the game with your company, family, and friends! Parking passes will be sent directly to sponsors.
  • VIP Tailgate lot opens at 2:30pm.
  • Sponsors and Wish families receive early admission to the event at 2:30pm, including access to the Fun Zone and Wish Family Room in the Armory.
  • VIP bleacher seating for the game will be located behind home plate.

Volunteer Information

  • All volunteers will receive a food voucher, T-Shirt and admission ticket.
  • Volunteer check-in located in the Armory. T-Shirts and food vouchers will be available to pick up at check-in.
  • Sign-up to volunteer - Make-A-Wish Iowa: 2025 Wishes On Deck Volunteers

Did you know?

There are more than 300 children in Iowa who are waiting for their one true wish to be granted. Help us reach that goal while enjoying some summertime fun! 

Wish kids are some of the bravest and sweetest kids you’ll ever know. They wish to work in a pickle factory, become a superhero, go snorkeling, give their baseball team new uniforms and push all of the buttons in a tall building’s elevator. Their innocence and unexpected wisdom stay with you.

A Wish Granted

A granted wish helps children feel stronger, more energetic and resilient to battle their critical illnesses. For many, even knowing their wish is going to be granted marks a turning point in their treatment. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals say the wish experience works in concert with medicine to make their patients feel better emotionally and even physically — and we have the data to back it up.

Impact Study

Wishes in Waiting

There are hundreds of Wishes in Waiting throughout Iowa. 

In the recent “Impact of a Wish” study, 94% of parents recalled seeing improvement in their child’s emotional well-being, so much so that 91% of parents reported the wish gave their child a better chance of surviving their illness.

A few other notable findings include:

  • Research shows that a wish can give kids the strength to stand up against and even overcome a critical illness. 
  • 99% of doctors say wishes help relieve a family from traumatic stress.
  • 87% of wish alumni say their wish was a turning point in their treatment.