October 2026 - ImpactLife

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

"The whole goal is getting people aware of the need, and addressing the national crisis. That is the mission—promoting, donating, and meeting the needs of all the blood donation organizations and centers throughout the nation."

— Maj. Kelly Jones, CAP

When cadets from the Civil Air Patrol – Illinois Wing Springfield Composite Squadron began brainstorming ways to make the biggest possible impact in their community through their annual Cadet Competition, their answer came straight from the heart. After consulting with squadron leadership, they decided the most meaningful impact they could make was hosting a blood drive us to save lives.

Their local effort connects directly to nationwide movement . Civil Air Patrol's longest-running humanitarian mission, Operation Pulse Lift, was mobilized during the pandemic when thousands of blood donor sites were forced to close across the country. Today, through volunteer-led drives in local communities like Springfield and military installations around the globe, Operation Pulse Lift has collected over 100,000 units of blood to support patients in need.

Hudson's Heroes

Hudson Strong

Blood is medicine for kids like Hudson.

For six years, the Hudson Strong Foundation has rallied our community to support pediatric cancer patients, collecting more than 2,200 blood donations and raising more than $200,000 for pediatric cancer families and research. This annual drive is a powerful reminder during Pediatric Cancer Awareness month that blood is always in need for cancer patients.

Hudson received more than a dozen blood transfusions over the course of his treatment. He beat leukemia in 2022, and his family started the foundation to support other families in their fight against pediatric cancer. We are proud to be part of the foundation’s lifesaving mission.

Obed & Isaac's and OSF Children's Hospital Logos

Good things happen when we partner for life. On Saturday. Sept 26, we celebrated with a launch party at Obed & Isaac's in Peoria and Springfield, where Liquid Gold, a limited-edition golden ale, was officially tapped to help kids with cancer.

For every crowler sold, Obed's will donate $1 to OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois Blood & Disorders Institute to support pediatric patients. The celebration included Urbana board member Kristina Bentz, mom of Ian the Cancer Wrangler, who helped bring this idea to life with our Community Development Advocate Chad Sabin. We had 98.7 WNNS provide live remote coverage at the Springfield Obed location with Springfield board members sharing our local in-center drive starting September 26th lasting through the end of October where donors can contribute their post donation gift to the OSF Children's Hospital through our Good Giving program.

It was a night of community, creativity, and giving back. Crowlers are $10 and available while supplies last in Peoria and Springfield.

Liquid Gold Launch at Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery

WE GIVE BLOOD DRIVE 2026

Josh & Jase on their Tailgate Tour
Josh & Jase on their Tailgate Tour with Ian "The Cancer Wrangler" Bentz and family
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter
University of Illinois Sigma Chi - Kappa Kappa Chapter

The Abbott and Big Ten WE GIVE BLOOD drive is off to a roaring start, and we’re proud to champion blood donation all football season long! Big Ten schools are competing for a $1 million grant by registering the greatest number of donors among Big Ten institutions across the country during the upcoming Big Ten football season.

International influencers Josh & Jase brought their Tailgate Tour to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and stopped by our blood drive at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine to see what famILLy is all about.

The brothers of the University of Illinois Sigma Chi – Kappa Kappa chapter proved that campus spirit and community impact go hand in hand, hosting a blood drive that registered more than 100 donors ready to save lives. Their drive adds serious momentum to the Fighting Illini's run in the competition.

Every donation made during the competition (August 12 through December 4 at noon) scores one point for the Big Ten school designated by the donor on the leaderboard.

Learn more at www.bloodcenter.org/bigten!

HOST A DRIVE, GET SOMETHING BACK!

When you host and coordinate a blood drive, you’re directly helping patients in need get more time with loved ones and more steps on the road to recovery. That’s worthy of a more tangible “thank you,” which is why BDCs (blood drive coordinators) receive points that are used for our popular Donor Rewards store!

These points are the same as those accrued by donors for giving blood, and they can be redeemed for ImpactLife gear and more. The most popular items by far are our T-shirts, featuring our initiatives, special limited-edition holiday designs, and more. This October, we’ve rolled out a spooky new design featuring some classic monsters!

It’s our way of saying “thank you” for making a lifesaving difference! Check out what you can earn by logging in here!

"Thank you for your donation of blood for my father. You are awesome!"

The work you do as a Partner for Life makes an incredible difference for patients who count on blood products. And our Thank the Donor initiative is a chance to hear directly from patients who have received blood, like this one.

Learn more about Thank the Donor here!

Partners for Life Newsletter October 2026

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

Hudson's Heroes

Liquid Gold Launch at Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery

WE GIVE BLOOD DRIVE 2026

HOST A DRIVE, GET SOMETHING BACK!