‘We Give Blood’ recap: Drive saves nearly 250,000 lives

Abbott and Big Ten’s drive to save lives came back for Year 2 — bigger and bolder.

Season 2 ends with a champion — and hundreds of thousands of winners

Donating blood is a selfless act. And when this many people across the Big Ten conference and the nation come together to do it, that act has an impact.

The second season of Abbott and the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” competition ended Friday with more than 80,000 donations, some 15,000 of them coming from our new champion, the University of Wisconsin.

The Badgers pulled away from last year’s winner, the University of Nebraska, at the end of a thrilling back-and-forth battle on our competition leaderboard. Still, the Huskers showed why they’re called “Big Red” by topping 14,000 donations.

Bitter football rivals Michigan and Ohio State finished third and fourth, respectively. All 18 Big Ten universities eclipsed 1,000 donations during the 14-week contest.

With that said, each donation didn’t just boost a school’s score; it helped save as many as three lives. Add them all up, and you get this final score:

More than 80,000 donations
Up to 3 lives saved with each donation
Nearly 250,000 lives saved in all

For the school’s win, Wisconsin was awarded $1 million to advance student or community health.

Now, the challenge is to keep momentum going. The more new blood donors there are, the more lives we can all help save.

This season may be ending, but the impact you make lasts far beyond the final whistle. Find a blood center near you at bigten.org/abbott.

Dec. 03

Blood, sweat and bragging rights: Big Ten’s final push

The clock is ticking, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. As college football’s regular season nears its finale, so does Abbott and the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” competition — a battle that’s been just as fierce as the action on the field.

Right now, it’s a photo-finish at the top: Wisconsin and Nebraska are neck and neck, with each school at about 14,000 life-saving donations. Who will claim victory after the contest ends on Dec. 5? It’s anyone’s game.

Meanwhile, Ohio State and Indiana aren’t just gearing up for the Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game; they’re climbing the leaderboard, too, sitting comfortably in the top third. Ohio State is in fourth (trailing Michigan) with 6,500 donations. Indiana sits in eighth place (just ahead of Purdue) with 3,000 donations. Can you help your school during the final push?

Check out bigten.org/abbott to see where your school stands and sign up to donate today. You have just two days left!

A “We Give Blood” winner will be crowned on Saturday along with a conference football champ. Catch the Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game on FOX Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET, and follow Abbott on Instagram to find out who takes the title!

Nov. 19

Abbott and the Big Ten conference are back with the "We Give Blood" drive to re-establish the rivalries and save lives. Keep up with the latest on the competition here.

Badgers or Huskers? Who has the drive to win?

Wisconsin and Nebraska are giving us a literal red-hot finish to this year’s “We Give Blood” drive. Each of the two blood donation powerhouses has topped 11,000 donations with a little bit more than two weeks to go before the competition ends on Dec. 5.

Meanwhile, the battle for third place remains heated, as Michigan and Ohio State extend their football rivalry to our drive to save lives.

Speaking of which: This year’s contest is approaching the 200,000 “lives saved” mark. (Every whole blood donation helps save up to three lives.)

Even though it looks like either the Badgers or Huskers will be crowned this year’s champion, in truth, everybody wins. As always, go to bigten.org to join in.

Oct. 09

Donors unite to top the 100,000 ‘lives saved’ mark

Two incredible things are happening in Abbott and the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” drive this month.

First, as of Oct. 8, the amazing blood donors throughout the Big Ten conference and across the country have combined to save up to 100,000 lives since our blood donation competition started on Aug. 27. (Every whole blood donation can save up to three lives and help tackle the national blood shortage.)
Second, everyone who donated on the first day of the competition will soon be eligible to give again. Any donor can safely give whole blood every 56 days. So, if you donated on Aug. 27, your window of opportunity reopens on Oct. 22.

To the donors who have participated so far: We can’t thank you enough. But, hey, this is still a competition with $1 million at stake for the winning university to advance student or community health.

Schedule your next donation soon at bigten.org/abbott to score another point for your school.

Sep. 26

Breaking records: Blood donations surpass last year’s numbers

Are you keeping up with the leaderboard? If so, you may have noticed that our totals have already surpassed last year’s: Some 20,000 donors have already saved as many as 60,000 lives!

It’s a huge accomplishment, but we’re just getting started. You still have until Dec. 5 to join the drive to save lives, donate blood and help your school win the $1 million to advance student or community health. (And it’s still “game on” even if you’ve already donated. Read this to see if you might be able to score more points.)

Don’t forget: Submit your donation at bigten.org/abbott.

Sep. 24

Abbott named to Fortune’s ‘Change the World’ list

Turns out, football fandoms can help save lives — and the work is being recognized. Our initiative with the Big Ten helped Abbott make the “Fortune Change the World” list, an annual honor that recognizes companies making a positive social impact. See Fortune magazine’s full list.

The positive impact we’re making? Our “We Give Blood” drive aims to tackle the need for blood while also inspiring a new generation of blood donors. In 2024, our first year of the partnership, the “We Give Blood” drive totaled 20,000 blood donations, saving as many as 60,000 lives. Now, Year 2 is in full swing, and we have already surpassed those 20,000 donations.

Will you join the drive to save lives? Sign up to donate at bigten.org/abbott.

Aug. 27

Who will win Year 2?

And can we one-up last year’s impact?

This conference-wide competition encourages students, alumni and fans to donate blood and help tackle the critical need for blood in the U.S. The university that encourages the most blood donations will win $1 million for student or community health. Plus, those who donate also have a chance at exclusive Homefield-designed merch and VIP game day experiences.

Sign up to donate today at bigten.org/abbott — and remember to then submit your donation to score for your team. Will your university win?

To learn how last year’s competition shook out, read the recap.