- To help address the greatest need for blood in a generation,
Abbott, a global leader in blood testing, and the Big Ten
Conference are teaming up to host the first college conference-wide
blood donation competition
- The school that drives the most blood donations during the 2024
football season will be honored by Abbott at the Discover Big Ten
Football Championship Game with a $1
million donation to the school to advance student or
community health
- Students, alumni and fans can donate blood on behalf of any of
the 18 member schools at blood centers across the country; donation
totals will be tracked live at BigTen.Org/Abbott throughout the
campaign
- Participants receive a free one-month subscription to B1G+
streaming service and are entered to win two tickets and a trip to
the Big Ten Football Championship Game
ABBOTT PARK, Ill. and ROSEMONT, Ill., Sept. 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) 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.
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.
About the Big Ten Conference:
The Big Ten Conference
is an association of world-class universities whose member
institutions share a common mission of research, graduate,
professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded
in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared
practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in
the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and
emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness.
The Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official sports, 14 for men and
14 for women, and the broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten
institutions provide direct financial support for more than 14,000
student-athletes. For more information, visit BigTen.org.
About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare leader
that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our
portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of
healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics,
medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our
114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com and
on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Youtube.
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SOURCE Abbott