ImpactLife, with blood donation centers in the Quad Cities, is teaming up with the “We Give Blood” drive competition launched by global healthcare leader Abbott and the Big Ten Conference.
This marks the second year of the college rivalry-inspired blood donation competition that pits the colleges’ athletics teams against one another to donate the most blood. The contest, which began Wednesday, Aug. 27, and runs through Friday, Dec. 5, is designed to address one of the country’s most pressing health crises.
According to a news release issued by Abbott and the Big Ten, the U.S. continues to face urgent blood shortages, with some blood centers reporting less than a one-day supply of blood on hand. Blood donations are needed every two seconds for a wide variety of medical reasons, including trauma and accident victims, mothers experiencing complications after childbirth, and individuals receiving cancer treatment. As people age, they become less likely to be eligible to donate blood. While at the same time, the number of young people donating blood has fallen in recent years.
Through the “We Give Blood” contest, Abbott is working with Big Ten universities and blood centers across the country to ignite the next generation of lifelong blood donors. The competition will bring more blood drives to campuses, giving many college students an opportunity to donate blood for the first time.
Students, alumni and fans across the country can donate blood at any location and log their donation to help their college compete for a $1 million grant from Abbott. The funding, which must be used to advance student or community health, will be awarded to the Big Ten institution that registers the largest number of donors during this fall’s Big Ten football season.
Creating lifelong donors
“This campaign is a direct investment in the long-term sustainability of our nation’s blood supply,” Abbott Chairman and CEO Robert Ford said in the release. “We know young people care deeply about their communities, and this is an amazing opportunity to help them show it. Our hope is that years from now, people will look back and mark the ‘We Give Blood’ drive as the moment that they became a first-time, and ultimately lifelong, blood donor.”
Tony Petitti, Big Ten Conference commissioner, added that the conference is pleased to partner again with Abbott “to provide this opportunity for every Big Ten fan across the country to help solve the worst U.S. blood shortage in decades.”
“Big Ten fans are competitive and compassionate. We are confident they will embrace this challenge not only in the months ahead, but for years to come,” Mr. Petitti added.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln won the inaugural “We Give Blood” drive competition in 2024 with nearly 4,000 donors, saving as many as 12,000 lives. The funds are helping the university support health-focused research, student organization grants, and its Well-Being Collective, which promotes students’ physical, social, and emotional health.
ImpactLife serves multiple communities that are home to Big Ten institutions. To book a donation with ImpactLife, call (800) 747-5401, text LIFESAVER to 999-777 pr book at blodcenter.org. Donors also can visit www.bloodcenter.org/BigTen for a list of blood drives.
The X’s and O’s
Logging a donation for your Big Ten school of choice is easier than ever: eligible donors can do so at any blood center or blood drive across the country between Aug. 27 and Dec. 5 and text “DONATE” to ABBOTT (222688) to log a donation for their Big Ten school. You can also submit your donation at BigTen.Org/Abbott, where you can find more information about eligibility, specifics around campus blood drives and a blood center locator tool.
This year’s competition also will offer Big Ten fans more opportunities with the goal of inspiring first-time donors:
- Abbott is releasing exclusive, limited-edition Homefield designed T-shirts for each Big Ten school. Shirts will be available throughout the competition, while supplies last.
- Beginning with the first week of the Big Ten football season, Abbott and the Big Ten will host 12 “We Give Blood” Weekly One-Up Challenges. These mini competitions will pit two Big Ten schools against each other to see which can show up to donate the most blood during the week. Donors from the winning school will receive a chance to win select memorable campus experiences offered by the universities.
The “We Give Blood” winner will be announced at the Big Ten Championship Football Game on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Indianapolis. Donation totals will be tracked on a live leaderboard at BigTen.Org/Abbott throughout the campaign.
Abbott, the health sciences and diagnostics partner of the Big Ten Conference, helps screen the world’s blood supply. Abbott has partnered with the multimedia rightsholders across each Big Ten campus – Learfield, Playfly Sports, and JMI Sports.
For more information about the “We Give Blood” drive and how to participate, visit BigTen.Org/Abbott.
