QC Links Annual Black Family Wellness Expo
Showing up in the community works!
Last Saturday, Donor Recruiter Cheryl Easley took the stage as a guest speaker at the QC Links Annual Black Family Wellness Expo at the Moline Boys and Girls Club, and she did not go alone.
Shyneeta Rush (Supervisor, Donor Services) and Kaitlyn Pearson (Supervisor, Donor Recruitment) joined Cheryl to work the event, blood typing 27 people on the spot. Cheryl walked away with new donor prospects and, maybe more importantly, a roomful of people who left with a new perspective on blood donation after hearing her message.
That is exactly the kind of community presence that turns curious conversations into lifelong donors.
Inclement Interstate Interruption Isn't Impeding IMD's Important Inventory Issuance!
A late-season snowstorm brought a wave of cancellations that affected blood drives, donor center schedules, and even deliveries by our Inventory Management & Distribution team. But the IMD crew persisted to find a way through!
When Interstate 74 shut down near Galesburg and IMD couldn't safely move product from Springfield, Urbana, and Peoria to Davenport, lab and IMD management worked together to divert everything to St. Louis, shifting staff hours and assignments to cover the extra load.
Meanwhile at our Madison hub, IMD Supervisor Alex Gralak suited up to clear windshields and a path between vehicles after plows cleared a foot of snow from the parking lot. Thank you to everyone for going the extra mile this winter, and here's to spring!
Brother FTD, Sister Phlebotomist
We love a family tradition! Last Friday, at Davenport North High School, Avery, on the left, donated for the first time, and he got a little extra support from someone special! His big sister, Tyssa, was the phlebotomist who worked with him throughout the donation.
This wasn't Tyssa's first time either, she was able to do the same for their other sister when she was in school.
This moment was made possible in part by the Davenport North Wildcats' commitment to giving back. They host four blood drives a year, creating opportunities for young donors to become Leaders for Life.
Leaders for Life: Shaping the Future of Blood Donation
Great communities aren’t built overnight, they’re built by the daily choices of those willing to show up. ImpactLife’s Leaders for Life initiative celebrates high school students who do exactly that, recognizing young volunteers who power our blood drives and earn the distinctive Student Impact Award cord for graduation.
We recently sat down with three of these student leaders in our Illinois region to hear why they roll up their sleeves (and rally their classmates) to save lives.
Chase Driskell, a senior at Canton High School, keeps it refreshingly simple: “I like donating because it’s easy. It’s not too difficult and doesn’t take that much time. I know it’s going to a good cause. I really enjoy it.” That straightforward enthusiasm is contagious—proof that heroism doesn’t require a cape, just a free hour and a willingness to help.
For Ellie Surges at Glenwood High School, the motivation runs through student leadership. “Helping recruit for blood drives with my student council was important because we knew the kind of impact it would have on the community and to make a difference in people’s lives who really need it,” she explains. Ellie captures the ripple effect of peer-to-peer advocacy: one conversation in the hallway can mean a transfusion for a patient in surgery or a new parent holding their healthy newborn.
Then there’s Jessie Miller from Centennial High School, who sees blood drives as gateways to lifelong giving. “Blood donation is such an easy way to help somebody. I love getting to talk to students about it and help them experience something new and provide ways to give back to the community,” Jessie says. By demystifying the process for first-timers, she’s not just filling appointment slots, she’s cultivating the next generation of donors.
When young people lead, communities thrive. As they walk across the graduation stage wearing their Impact cords in May, they’ll carry more than a keepsake, they’ll carry the knowledge that they’ve already left for future leaders.