The Kenosha Mayor’s Office is again supporting the Abbott/Big Ten “We Give Blood Drive” competition. This is year 2 of the college rivalry-inspired blood donation competition, addressing the ongoing blood shortage across the country. The Big Ten school with the most blood donations between Aug. 27 and Dec. 5 will receive $1 million from Abbott towards community or student health. The University of Wisconsin came in second place last year, and Kenosha is ready to help them win this year.
The “We Give Blood” drive competition is designed to motivate Big Ten students, alumni and fans to donate blood by tapping into school pride and devotion to their teams. It is putting rivalry and school spirit to the test as all of the schools compete to see who can donate the most blood, positively impacting countless lives across the country.
“Blood donations are a critical part of care in our communities and we’re proud to join Abbott and the Big Ten in supporting this unique and inspiring blood donation competition,” said David Bogdala, Mayor of Kenosha. “I know the community will step up to donate and will have a little fun supporting a Big Ten school in the process.”
Kenosha Blood Donation Drives
The first Kenosha blood drive will be held on Aug. 27 at the Kenosha Museum. Those that show up to donate and log their donation towards the competition will be the first to receive an exclusive, limited-edition T-shirt for Wisconsin (or other Big Ten school of choice), while supplies last. Additional blood donation dates in Kenosha will be available throughout the competition.
The Aug. 27 event will be attended by Mayor Bogdala and other city leaders.
Donors can make an appointment for Aug. 27 and the other dates at the following link. The blood drives will be facilitated by Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin. A photo ID is required, and all donors must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and have not donated blood within the past 56 days.
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.
“With the nation facing persistent blood shortages, we knew we needed to do something bold to attract new life-long donors,” said Lou Morrone, Executive Vice President, Core Diagnostics, Abbott. “As a UW alum and Kenosha native, I know that the Kenosha community can make a great impact for its residents while also helping UW Madison take home the win.”
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.
How Blood makes a Local Impact
Donated blood can also have a direct, life-saving impact right here in Kenosha. The Kenosha Fire Department is the first fire-based EMS service in Wisconsin to carry blood on all of its front-line ambulances.
Through the department’s new prehospital blood administration program, paramedics can deliver life-saving transfusions at the scene of an emergency, giving patients a critical head start before arriving at the hospital. This cutting-edge initiative means that blood donated locally could help save lives in Kenosha in real time—often within minutes of a traumatic injury or medical emergency.
The X’s and O’s
Logging a donation for UW-Madison is easy: anyone eligible to donate blood can do so at any blood center or drive across the country from Aug. 27-Dec. 5 and text “DONATE” to ABBOTT (222688) to log a donation for a Big Ten school. You can also submit your donation at BigTen.Org/Abbott, where you can find more information about eligibility, specifics around campus blood drives and a blood center locator tool.
People who want to donate blood as part of the competition can learn more about eligibility, find local blood centers and log their donation to count for their school of choice at BigTen.Org/Abbott.
The competition winner will be announced at the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis. Donation totals are being tracked live at BigTen.Org/Abbott throughout the campaign.
