Iowa League of Heroes turns children’s dreams into reality
9/4/2024
The Iowa League of Heroes has completed thousands of visits and events since it began 20 years ago
The rise in popularity of superheroes in the last 20 years has been difficult to ignore. Lists featuring the highest-grossing movies of that time heavily featured Marvel and DC movies and their respective characters. Children especially idolize these superheroes.
While these heroes have worlds to save and crimes to stop, they still make time for children who could use cheering up. Matt Morgan of the Iowa League of Heroes (ILH) plays an integral part in connecting those kids with their favorite heroes.
“If we get event requests, or if we get special requests from hospitals, funeral homes or anything like that, I handle all of that stuff and make sure all of the superheroes in the league are notified of the event request,” Morgan said.
Morgan, the founder, has been working with the ILH for 20 years. While he helps coordinate events, he is also on the lookout for potential heroes.
“The league consists of just a small group of people who understand the mission. We always keep our eyes open for candidates, for agents of change, we like to call them,” Morgan said. “Because we have to be very particular about who is a League member for multiple reasons, ideally, we would like to find people who actually look the part. And that’s really hard to do,” he said.
What makes a good agent of change?
“Our primary purpose is to be there for the children and families that are fighting difficult medical battles. As the founder of the league, my main goal is to protect that and to make sure these kids get the best of what they can get. Because, quite honestly, we don’t know if they’re going to be here next week,” Morgan said.
“Our primary purpose is to be there for the children and families that are fighting difficult medical battles. As the founder of the league, my main goal is to protect that and to make sure that these kids get the best of what they can get. Because, quite honestly, we don’t know if they’re going to be here next week.” – Matt Morgan
The individuals who make up the ILH come from all walks of life — police officers, firefighters, doctors and even military personnel.
The ILH boasts several superheroes including, but not limited to, Batman, Batgirl, The Flash, Superman, Spider-Man and more. The suits they use for these heroes are incredibly detailed.
“A lot of the suits are custom-made and come from all over the world. The Ant-Man suit, Dr. Keller, who is a League member up in Mason City, made it. It’s a genuine motorcycle suit, just like in the movie. It’s all about screen accuracy and getting as close as possible,” Morgan said. “The Dark Knight suit came from Australia forever ago. We acquired that suit and, so we’re told, it supposedly came from the stunt suit mold. So, it’s a very unique suit, and it’s very old.”
Before founding the ILH, Morgan said he was “just trying to make a living.” Since the start of this organization, he’s found a bigger purpose.
“It means everything to me. It’s what I’ve dedicated my life to. I can’t imagine not doing it,” Morgan said. “It’s a true blessing to see the results of what may be 60 seconds to two minutes with a child. Then, seven years later, they come up to you and they’re like, ‘I remember you when I was little.’ And that’s just priceless.”
Morgan said he has plenty of lasting memories in his time helping coordinate visits with children. One, in particular, sticks out.
“I think the catalyst that caused me to ask the question, ‘What more can I do?’ was Tyler Cross. Tyler spent the last two years of his life at Lake Children’s Hospital. We became very close friends with Tyler to the point where, every time we visited the hospital as superheroes, we would make it a point to stop in his room and see how he was doing. It graduated from there, where we started visiting as regular people. We became great friends with him and his family, and I ended up officiating his funeral. I baptized him in his hospital bed,” Morgan said.
Morgan and the group are working on creating a headquarters they can invite children to, similar to the Hall of Justice in the Justice League. They’ve teased it somewhat, but Morgan says there will be a boardroom for superheroes to meet, a toy room for kids, a wall for photo ops, and a memorial wall where they can honor kids they’ve visited who have passed.
Morgan stressed the importance of continuing to grow the ILH Facebook page, found at facebook.com/IowaLeagueOfHeroes. He says the more that people know where they can find the ILH, the more they can make sure anybody who needs them knows where they’re at. ♦
