August 2026 - ImpactLife

Saving Lives - and Fueling Summer Adventures

Many in the Quad Cities know Scott Hildebrand as the owner of Henry's Christmas Yard, where for years, the community gathered each holiday season and blood donors rolled up their sleeves at the blood drives he hosted. But long before, and long after, the lights came down, Scott has remained committed to giving back as a dedicated platelet donor for more than 20 years.

In our new featured video, Scott shares why platelet donation has become such an important part of his life and how the rewards from donating help fund his annual summer road trips across North America! By using his donor gift cards to stock up on groceries along the way, Scott proves that saving lives can also help fuel summer fun. Watch Scott's story and see how one simple act of generosity can make a lasting impact for patients and donors alike!

The Summer Supply: A Challenge, Not A "Crisis"

"No shortage, let's keep it that way!"

When media outreach from a major national blood provider uses the terms "shortage" and "blood crisis," we're also going to be asked about the blood supply in our region. Our answer: ImpactLife does not have a shortage, and we're working hard to keep it that way.

We've written a blog post and have been doing media and donor outreach this week to hone in on that message. Our goal is to both assure our communities that ImpactLife is not experiencing a "blood crisis" and to emphasize how we need strong support from the communities we serve to avoid ever having a shortage.

We all know summer is a challenging time for the blood supply. The next time someone at the pool, beer garden, or barbecue asks how we're doing, let them know hospitals and EMS teams have blood on the shelves, and we could use their support to help keep it that way!

Dogust and Good Giving

Dogust, a mashup of "Dog" and "August," is the universal birthday for all shelter and rescue dogs, a day created to give them a moment all their own. We'll be cheering on the shelters and humane societies that care for animals across our communities by highlighting our eligible Good Giving partners and encouraging blood donors to utilize our Good Giving program.

Our goal is to increase donations and drive donor participation in the Good Giving program. The current Good Giving cycle with eligible pet shelters and humane societies concludes on August 30.

Learn More

Corpuscle Shuffle 5K + 1-Mile Run/Walk Set For Oct. 3

It's time to get serious about training for ImpactLife's Corpuscle Shuffle 5K and 1-mile run/walk on Oct. 3, 2026. The race starts and ends outside our headquarters in Davenport and the fun continues with our post-race party at the nearby Five Cities Brewery!

The course has a few hills, dropping down from the HQ and going through neighborhoods to cross Field Sike Creek at its lowest point. Then it's back uphill to Devils Glen Road and a short neighborhood loop, down to the creek, and back to ImpactLife. Running or walking, it's a great way to start the day and "earn" a drink of your choice and a nice breakfast provided by Five Cities and Central Standard.

Join us for a good time the first Saturday in October! Early registration discount applies through August 30 at www.bloodcenter.org/5K.

Help Build the Next Generation of Lifesavers!

We're on a mission to change the world, one campus at a time!

It's why we created the ABO Initiative, to help build the next generation of lifesavers. A new semester is just around the corner, and we're gearing up to make an impact on campuses across our four-state region!

Through our campus Ambassadors and five student-led Blood Clubs, we're inspiring college students to donate blood, partner for blood drives, and become advocates for patients who depend on lifesaving blood products. These student leaders are helping bridge an important gap, encouraging young donors to continue the lifesaving habit they started in high school and carry it with them through college and beyond.

Know a college student who's passionate about making a difference? We'd love to have them join the movement. Whether they're interested in becoming an ABO Ambassador or starting or joining a registered student organization (we call them Blood Clubs!), they can learn more and get involved at bloodcenter.org/abo. Together, we're building the next generation of lifesavers!

ABO Initiative

July Pride 2026

We All Bleed The Same

We're always looking for ways to let people know who can give blood, to help find more blood donors and more blood drive partners.

It's why we take part in community events like Pridefest. This summer, we teamed up with LGBTQIA+ organizations across our four-state service region, including the July events in Peoria and Bloomington-Normal Pridefest.

Our booths were a chance to have great conversations with the LGBTQIA+ community about how they can roll up a sleeve and help save lives. We explained why blood donors are always needed and reminded the community about the updated 2023 FDA guidelines using gender-inclusive based questions in pre-donation screening.

The best part? We helped over 120 people discover their blood type right on the spot! Getting to know your blood type is such a fun first step in the donation journey, and the energy from everyone who stopped by our booth was truly inspiring.

Learn more at www.bloodcenter.org/pride.

Saving Lives is Better with Friends

We're excited to tell you about our Donor Referral program, where you and your blood buddy can both get a limited-edition tshirt when you help find a new ImpactLife blood donor!

We're lucky to have a strong, dedicated donor community — but there’s always a need for more blood to help meet patient demand. And without new donors joining, it becomes more challenging to keep hospitals across our region supplied with the blood products they need every day.

Many people simply haven’t donated because they’ve never been asked, and that’s where you come in! By inviting your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors to give blood, you can help save lives. It only takes a few seconds to ask, but your impact can be enormous.

When your referral schedules their first ImpactLife donation using your unique referral code and presents to donate, you'll both receive an email containing a link to order your limited edition ImpactLife t-shirt. Learn more at bloodcenter.org/friend!

Partners for Life Newsletter August 2026