ABBOTT PARK and ROSEMONT, Ill. – Abbott is partnering with the Big Ten Conference and its 18-member university athletic departments to boost the U.S. blood supply through a blood donation competition. It will put rivalry and school spirit to the test as all of the schools compete to see who can donate the most blood, positively impacting lives across the country.
“The We Give Blood Drive” initiative is designed to motivate Big Ten students, alumni and fans to donate blood by tapping into school pride and devotion to their teams.
The competition comes at a time when the U.S. is experiencing one of the biggest blood shortages in a generation, in part due to the fact that the number of younger donors has declined sharply in recent years. The initiative aims to inspire young people to become life-long donors to ensure a stable blood supply, especially as older adults become unable to donate.
Blood donations are needed for a wide variety of medical reasons, including trauma and accident victims, mothers experiencing complications after childbirth, and individuals receiving cancer treatment. One donation can save up to three lives.
“The U.S. continues to experience ongoing blood shortages, and we knew as a leader in diagnostics and testing we had to do something powerful to draw in donors,” said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. “What better way to inspire people to donate than tapping into rivalries between Big Ten schools and offering up a friendly competition. It’s our hope we’ll give the blood supply a significant boost while inspiring a future generation of blood donors. ”
The X’s and O’s
“The We Give Blood Drive” blood donation competition will run during the college football season, from Sept. 26 through Dec. 6, with the winner announced at the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis. Donation totals will be tracked live at BigTen.Org/Abbott throughout the campaign.
People who want to donate blood as part of the competition can learn more about eligibility, find participating local blood centers and validate their donation to count for their school of choice at BigTen.Org/Abbott.
Hawkeye fans near Johnson County are encouraged to schedule a blood donation with the University of Iowa DeGowin Blood Center by visiting uidegowinbloodcenter.org or calling 319-356-2058. The DeGowin Blood Center is a hospital-based donation center and all donated blood is used to support UI Health Care patients. Other area locations include ImpactLife (based in the Quad Cities, with Donor Center locations in the eastern one-third of the state, plus western Illinois) and LifeServe (based in Des Moines, with Donor Center locations primarily Des Moines and west).
Mobile blood drives for students and faculty are planned on campuses throughout the season. If someone lacks a participating center near them, they may choose to donate blood at any center across the country and upload proof of donation. Everyone who participates in the competition also will receive a free one-month subscription to B1G+, the Conference’s streaming service via an email after uploading their proof of donation. Participants will also be entered to win two tickets and a trip to the Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 7.
The school credited with donating the most blood — each donation counts for 1 point — will be named “The We Give Blood Drive” champion. The winning school will receive $1 million to advance student or community health.
“We’re grateful for Abbott’s important work and partnership with the Big Ten Conference,” said Tony Petitti, Big Ten Conference Commissioner. “Students, alumni and fans of Big Ten universities are known across the country for both their competitive and community spirit, giving us confidence this campaign will inspire them to donate blood, support their favorite Big Ten school and potentially save a life.”
Abbott and the Big Ten also announced that Abbott has become the health sciences and diagnostics partner of the Big Ten Conference. Abbott’s transfusion business helps screen the world’s blood supply. Abbott has partnered with the multimedia rightsholders across each Big Ten campus – Learfield, Playfly Sports, and JMI Sports – to bring this national campaign to life.
For more information about “The We Give Blood Drive” and how to participate, visit BigTen.Org/Abbott. To download media assets, click here.