Emma's Why
For Emma Zrostlik, giving blood went from a school event to a personal mission.
Emma is one of our Student Impact Award winners. She learned about the program her freshman year, started volunteering at blood drives, and gave blood for the first time the moment she turned 16. Now she recruits her friends, and she hopes the graduation honor cord on her gown will spark enough curiosity to do the same.
We made a short video about Emma and it is exactly the kind of thing worth sharing with the young donors in your community.
Bloodline Wheat
A beer brewed with purpose just raised $5,000 for kids fighting cancer.
Yesterday, we presented that check to the OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute in Peoria, the result of our partnership with Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery and their Bloodline Wheat, a blood orange wheat ale created to support young patients in our community.
The idea came from Kristina Bentz, an Urbana Board member whose son Ian required countless blood and platelet transfusions during his treatment at OSF. Obed and Isaac's was also a place of comfort for the Bentz family during that time, so turning it into something that could help other families just made sense.
A portion of every crowler purchase went straight to the institute where Ian was treated. That is what community looks like.
Community Connected
Last Saturday proved once again that getting out in the community changes everything.
Teresa Tran (Account Manager) and Chad Sabin (Community Development Advocate) represented us at the Black Family Wellness Expo hosted by the Tri-County Illinois Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. The duo connected with community members about Red4Life, our initiative focused on recruiting donors from diverse backgrounds to better serve patients with sickle cell disease and other conditions that require closely matched blood. They also provided free blood typing on the spot.
The highlight of the day? Springfield's Ward 5 Alderwoman Lakeisha K. Purchase discovered she is O negative, making her a universal donor whose blood can be given to any patient in an emergency. Safe to say she left with a new superpower.
Leaders For Life
Six blood drives. One week. Hundreds of lives impacted.
This week, we are running blood drives at six St. Louis area high schools across Missouri and Illinois, and it is a reminder of just how much young people power our mission. Highland, Affton, O'Fallon Township, Valley Park, Oakville, and Marquette are all opening their doors this week to give students the chance to save lives.
High school blood drives are a cornerstone of what we do. Through programs like the LifeSavings School Grant, schools earn money back for classrooms, charities, or student scholarships every time they host a drive. Students can also earn graduation honor cords, volunteer hours, and awards night recognition through our Student Impact Award program.