Student IMPACT Award - Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center

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Your support of blood donation directly impacts local hospital patients in a life changing way. In recognition of your achievement, students who complete the Student Impact Award Program will receive:

Graduation cord*
Recognition at your awards night*
Certificate of achievement
Satisfaction and pride for helping save lives

*Subject to approval by your school’s administration

How to Earn

Students must complete one of the following requirements over the course of their high school career:

DONATE

Donate blood at least eight times*
Donations must be completed; deferrals will not count towards your award.

RECRUIT

Recruit eight first time or lapsed donors*
Recruits cannot be other high school students at a high school drive. To qualify as lapsed, your donor must have not donated with our organization for at least 18 months.

VOLUNTEER

Serve on planning committee for four separate school blood drives
We will verify involvement with your drive coordinators.

HOST

Host a 10+ unit blood drive independent from your school
Drive can occur at a community location OR at one of our Donor Center locations but must be independent from your school drive. Email impact@mvbrc.org with questions and to get started with a Blood Center Representative today.

*Students may combine personal donations and recruited first time donors to earn their award, provided the total number of donations equals eight.

Submitting your Participation

Students must submit a form for every donation, recruited donor, volunteered drive, or hosted drive to receive credit for their award.

FILL OUT THE FORM HERE

We will email you within one week to confirm if your submission was approved and an update on your progress towards your award.

questions

We want to help. You can view our frequently asked questions below and email us at IMPACT@mvrbc.org with any additional questions.

FAQs

Why has the Gallon Grad program changed?

In order to allow more students to participate in the our high school IMPACT Award Program (previously called the Gallon Grad program), we have expanded the qualifying criteria to provide more opportunities for students (including those who aren’t eligible to donate blood) to get involved, save lives, and receive recognition for their commitment to their local blood supply.
How do I receive credit for my donations from previous years?

Please fill out an entry form for each previous donation you would like to count towards your award. All your personal donation information will be available on your online donor account. If you have any questions or would like an update on your progress towards your reward, please contact your Blood Center representative or email IMPACT@mvrbc.org.
How do I know how many more entries I need for my reward?

Great question. To check on your progress, please email impact@mvrbc.org.
Do I have to be a blood donor to earn an IMPACT award?

No! With the newest changes made to our IMPACT award program, students who are not able to give blood can still participate and support our mission through recruiting new donors or hosting a blood drive.
Can I recruit any donor and receive credit for an IMPACT award?

No. To receive credit for recruiting donors, each donor must be a NEW donor who has never donated with our Blood Center before. Additionally, your referrals cannot include other students to high school sponsored blood drives. Finally, each donor can only be “recruited” by one person; two students cannot both receive credit towards their IMPACT award by recruiting the same student.
What happens after I submit an entry?

After you enter your information through the entry form, our blood center will verify it and respond to you (typically via email) within one week.
For the “Host” option, can I host the blood drive with a friend?

Yes, but each host will still need to collect the minimum requirements for the award. For example, if two students host a drive together within the community, each student is responsible for reaching the required 15 unit minimum on their own (for a total blood drive goal of 30 units). Please contact your Blood Center representative before starting any drive planning for more information and guidance.
For the “Host” option, can I host the blood drive at my high school?

Yes! Your Blood Center Representative will work with you to determine the best location to host your drive at one of the following locations:

One of our designated donor centers
Within your community (religious organizations, employment locations, community groups, etc.)
Your high school (for your award, this drive must be separate from any drive otherwise affiliated or sponsored by your high school)

Please contact your Blood Center representative or email IMPACT@mvrbc.org before starting any drive planning for more information and guidance.
For the “Host” option, how many people do the “units” equate to?

Great question. Typically, one donor will equal one donation, but not every donor is able to successfully complete their donation every time. Because of this, we expect more people to be signed up and present to donate than you need to ensure you hit your goal. In order to collect 15 units for a community drive, we would expect at least 22 people to be signed up and present to donate. In order to collect 10 units for a drive hosted at one of our donor centers, we would expect at least 17 people to be signed up and present to donate. Your Blood Center representative can provide tailored guidance for this and additional support, so please reach out to us as soon as you want to explore this option. If you do not know who your representative is, please email IMPACT@mvrbc.org.

DONATE. RECRUIT. VOLUNTEER.