DONATE LIFE MONTH
During National Donate Life Month in April, we honor the people who have given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation. We also celebrate the lives that have been saved and healed because of a donor’s generosity.
This year’s theme uses trees as a symbol of life and connection. Just like trees grow and support each other in a forest, donation connects people – donors, recipients, and their families. Like a tree that grows and stands for generations, a donor’s gift leaves a lasting legacy of hope and life.
Learn more about Donate Life Month here!
DON SAX MEMORIAL DRIVE
We were honored to welcome Belleville-area neighbors to our blood drive last Saturday at St. Teresa Catholic in memory of Don Sax. This annual memorial drive brings our community together to celebrate Don’s legacy of generosity, and it’s always inspiring to see so many familiar and new faces come out to donate the gift of life.
As part of St. Teresa Catholic Church's centennial celebration, the church community set an incredible goal of collecting 100 pints of blood this year! The March 28 drive was an important step toward reaching that milestone, and we’re so grateful to everyone who donated, volunteered, and supported the effort. Together, we can make a lasting impact.
KIRKWOOD BLOOD TYPING
We soared with the Kirkwood Eagles this week! Over the course of two days, we brought blood donation education and blood typing to campus while building excitement for their upcoming blood drive.
On Tuesday, Alex and Skye visited two classes to talk about blood donation and offered blood typing. The following day, Alex, Skye, and Jake returned to campus to host a blood typing table open to all students, giving even more people the chance to stop by, learn about donation, and sign up for the upcoming drive.
A special thank-you goes to Tara Allen, the instructor who hosted the classroom presentations. Tara is also the coordinator for the upcoming campus blood drive, and a founding member of the Corridor Associate Board. Thanks to partners like Tara and the enthusiasm of Kirkwood students, we’re excited to see a great turnout when the campus blood drive takes place.
AMBASSADOR Q&A: MACY IWANUS
We're excited to introduce Macy Iwanus, our newest college ambassador at Illinois Wesleyan University! Ambassadors like Macy bring our mission to life on campus, inspiring fellow students to give back and save lives through the simple act of donation. Get to know Macy during our Q&A below:
Every lifesaver has an origin story! What first sparked your passion for blood donation, and why is this mission so close to your heart?
My mentor passed away from leukemia, and he needed a life-saving bone marrow transplant. He had received this life-saving transfusion from someone who chose to be selfless and save someone's life. Unfortunately, he passed away, but I want to carry on his legacy and help save lives. Now, it is not the same thing as a blood transfusion, but I took the initiative and signed up to be a bone marrow donor. From there, I started looking into what else I could do to possibly save a life. I started donating blood, and eventually signed up to be a plasma donor, where I've donated over 15 times. This mission is so close to my heart because it can be so easy to save a life without physically being there. Although I want to go into the medical field as a Physician's Assistant, I can encourage others to help save a life in the simplest form.
As our newest ambassador, what is your biggest goal or "dream project" for getting your fellow IWU Titans excited about giving back and saving lives?
My "dream project" for getting my fellow IWU Titans excited about giving back and saving lives would be a Titans' Save Lives Week. At IWU, we love to compete and win, so why not make saving lives a competition? With this, we would include events like blood drives, donor registration booths, and panels where transplant recipients or donor families in relation to IWU can share their stories. In the competition aspect, we could have a competition between RSO's, Sports Teams, or Residence Halls, to see who can save the most lives with the most donations. of course, there would be a small prize to encourage more lifesaving.
If you had just 15 seconds walking between classes to convince a friend to donate blood with ImpactLife, what is your go-to pitch?
My go-to pitch would be: Hey! If you needed and received a life-saving donation from a stranger, would you want to thank them for being selfless and saving your life? Now, if you had an opportunity to do that for someone, would you want to do it? If so, you should consider donating blood. It is a quick and easy process that could save up to 2-3 lives, and I promise that it doesn't hurt more than a pinch.
When you are taking a break from saving lives and studying, what is your favorite show to binge-watch or game to play?
My favorite show to binge-watch would definitely be Grey's Anatomy. I also play softball here at IWU.
EMPLOYEE REFERRAL PROGRAM
Know Someone Who Belongs at ImpactLife? Great people know great people.
Our Employee Referral Program gives you the opportunity to help grow our team - and earn up to $ 1,000 for a qualified referral. You understand what it takes to live our 5 C’s and serve our mission. That makes you one of our best recruiters.
Here’s how it works:
? Review open positions
? Submit a referral using the Referral Form
? If they’re hired and meet program criteria, you earn the reward!
Every teammate you bring in strengthens our culture and helps us continue to Be Part of Something Bigger.
Questions? Talent Acquisition is here to help. You can reach us at 3-TalentAcquisition@impactlife.org.