As part of the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” campaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted a Homecoming Blood Drive at the Nicholas Recreation Center Tuesday and Wednesday. Working with Abbott Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, the 18 universities in the conference aim to address the nation’s blood shortage by targeting first-time blood donors.
Students, alumni and fans of each school can donate blood at any location and log their donation to help their school compete for the $1 million prize from Abbott, which will go toward “advancing student and community health.”
Brad Silber, a Public Affairs Leader at Abbott, said the organization is using its role as a global health care leader to address the shortage of blood across the country. “This is one of the biggest blood shortages we've seen in my generation across the world,” Silber told The Daily Cardinal.
Last year’s inaugural drive saw over 20,000 pints of blood donated across all 18 universities. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln emerged victorious in 2024 with nearly 4,000 donors. UW-Madison has already surpassed 6,000 donors this year with less than two months left in the competition, which ends Dec. 5.
Silber said the addition of new vintage-inspired shirts for donors, as well as the work of student ambassadors on each campus, has helped to increase donations. “Our Wisconsin student ambassadors are amazing,” he said.
Katie Hopkins and Annali Wainer are Abbott student ambassadors at UW-Madison, working to coordinate student outreach, education and answer questions about the campaign. “It is such a cool initiative to bring together a whole new generation of blood donors [and] it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Hopkins said.
Wainer, a pre-health major, said she was motivated to become a student ambassador because she wants to raise awareness about donating blood. “A lot of people don’t know that there’s a huge blood shortage going on right now,” Wainer said, “and this is a great opportunity for me to help out.”
Competition between universities has been a vital tool for UW-Madison ambassadors to motivate other students to donate. “Nebraska won last year, so we gotta beat Nebraska,” Hopkins said. “Even if we're not going head-to-head in the competition it's an extra motivation.”
After winning last year, Nebraska split their $1 million prize among student organizations. “$1 million for a university might not seem like a lot of money,” Silber said, “but when you break it down and give it to these individual organizations, it can go a long way in generating goodwill and helping engage students.”
The Red Cross is one of the companies who helped coordinate the event, and organizers credit them with increasing awareness and informing students who may be hesitant to donate.
“Everyone here at the Red Cross is incredible,” Hopkins said. “They are doing such an amazing job making you feel comfortable and at ease.”
They do a great job at generating interest in the campaign, increasing understanding and getting people to donate. “[We] couldn’t do it without them,” Silber added.
For those who are scared to donate, Wainer says it is not as bad as it may seem. “I've never been one for needles, but honestly the hardest part is getting the needle, and then you don't feel it,” she said.
The winning university will be announced at the Big Ten Football Championship game on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis.
To find a drive near you, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.
