WE GIVE BLOOD IS BACK
The WE GIVE BLOOD competition officially returns on August 26, but you can help save lives right now.
Abbott and Big Ten Conference's WE GIVE BLOOD drive is back and we're excited to champion blood donation all football season long! It's a chance to save lives while supporting your favorite Big Ten football team!
Give blood August 12 through noon, December 4, and submit proof of your donation between August 26-December 4 to receive a limited-edition T-shirt, provided by Abbott, while supplies last!
WHAT IS THE WE GIVE BLOOD DRIVE?
We Give Blood, powered by Abbott and the Big Ten®, turns the passion of fans, students, and alumni into blood donations that help strengthen the nation's blood supply. Big Ten schools compete for a million-dollar grant by registering the greatest number of donors among Big Ten institutions across the country during the upcoming Big Ten football season. This is the third year of the competition: Year 1 Nebraska won, and Year 2 Wisconsin won!
- Every donation made during the competition scores one point for the Big Ten school designated by the donor on the leaderboard (www.BigTen.org/abbott).
- The winning school will receive one million dollars from Abbott to advance student or community health.
- Donors who give blood beginning August 12 will be among the first to receive the limited-edition T-shirt for their school. Check them out at www.BigTen.org/abbott. They'll be available (from Abbott) throughout the competition while supplies last.
Learn all about it at www.bloodcenter.org/bigten!
PAWS FOR A CAUSE
This Dogust, we're digging into the paws-itive impact of dog blood donation! We recently joined Dr. Jake Taylor of Creekside Veterinary Hospital to learn more about how our four-legged friends can become lifesavers, and we even captured the donation process on camera. Talk about a fur-real lifesaving experience!
Once a dog donates, we help process the blood by running it through our centrifuge, separating packed red blood cells from plasma so one donation can go even further. Dog blood can be stored for roughly two months, and donors must have the universal blood type, like O-negative red cells in humans. Many of these doggie donors are actually pets belonging to veterinarians!
There's no better time than Dogust to lend a paw to the animals in our communities. Through our Good Giving program, blood donors can forward their reward to local animal shelters and humane societies. Check out the video and learn how we're helping more than humans! And don't forget to share on your own socials!
HUDSON STRONG, TOGETHER
There was a lot to celebrate last Friday at the Hudson Strong Foundation's annual gala! We were proud to sponsor an evening that raised $80,000 to support pediatric cancer families and research, and we were thrilled to see blood donation play such an important role in the conversation. Our own Alex Burkamper (Community Development Advocate) spoke about how blood is medicine for cancer patients, and other speakers shared stories that reinforced just how important blood donors are.
The McKearney family and Hudson Strong have been a tireless advocate since 2020, inspiring more than 2,300 blood donations.
Hudson, now a happy and healthy 9-year-old pediatric cancer survivor, even took the stage to talk about his journey. We're proud to partner with Hudson Strong and help spread the message that every donation can give more birthdays, more first days of school, and more memories to every family fighting pediatric cancer.
PARTNERS PUTTING GOOD INTO THE WORLD
We're grateful to be Partners for Life with organizations like The Quiet Strength Project who share our commitment to building stronger communities. The Quiet Strength Project supports parents of children with disabilities by providing resources, emotional encouragement, and a strong sense of community. Their mission to make sure no parent feels unseen, unsupported, or alone is a powerful example of how nonprofits can lift each other up.
Earlier this month, we teamed up with them for a blood drive, and together we're creating more opportunities to support one another and put good into the world.