This fall, the Big Ten’s 18 universities will vie for a coveted football championship, but a global healthcare giant will engage them in another competition — a drive to see which school can donate the most blood.
Abbott announced last week that a campaign titled “We Give Blood” will give $1 million to the Big Ten university that makes the most blood donations.
The announcement came after the American Red Cross declared a national blood crisis because donations dropped to a four-year summer low. It is only the second time in history the Red Cross has declared an emergency.
To address the shortage of lifesaving blood for patients across the country and spark a new generation of blood donors at a time when one-quarter of all donations come from people over 65, Abbott and the Big Ten urged people to give blood now and those donations will count as donations toward the competition, which officially begins on Aug. 26.
People can donate blood anywhere in the U.S. until Dec. 4 and log their donation for a Big Ten School at BigTen.org/Abbott or by texting GIVEBLOOD to 222688 (ABBOTT), and select a limited-edition T-shirt while supplies last.
The potential Big Ten donor community is massive, as the conference has more than 817,000 students, 9.4 million alumni and 54 million fans.
“The future of America’s blood supply starts on college campuses,” Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer for Abbott, said in a press release. “When a young person gives blood for the first time and makes it a habit, that’s potentially decades of lifesaving donations.
“The ‘We Give Blood’ drive is how we turn school pride into a generational commitment — and how we make sure that when someone needs blood, it’s there,” Ford said.
