With a month left of the annual Big Ten blood drive competition, Northwestern has already doubled last year’s donations.
The We Give Blood Drive is a competition between every Big Ten school for the most blood donations; the winning university receives a $1 million dollar prize.
Partnering with Abbott, a health care technology company, for the competition, two on-campus blood drives took place in Norris University Center: University Blood Initiative on Nov. 5 and Red Cross on Nov. 6.
Abbott began the We Give Blood Drive in 2024, according to Medill senior Francesca Argentieri, who is an Abbott student ambassador. The drive began due to a shortage of blood donors among younger generations and a drop in blood donations after the pandemic, Argentieri said.
The We Give Blood Drive drive is held from Aug. 27 to Dec. 5, and the winner will be announced at the Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 6.
Last year, NU placed in the bottom five universities with around 400 donations, Argentieri said. As of Nov. 6, the University had already passed 1000 donations.
“We’re really proud of where we are and just hoping that we can finish strong and double that number the next couple of weeks as well,” Argentieri said.
Unlike in 2024, the presence of on-campus student ambassadors was a new component of the drive, Argentieri said. Ambassadors work to increase blood donations and encourage blood donors to log their donations for NU through the We Give Blood campaign, said Weinberg junior Abby Wertz.
“From someone who knew nothing about it to now being one of the co-leaders on our campus, I’ve just taken so much pride in it,” Argentieri said. “I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the competition and the numbers, but once you sit in the chair or you see people going in and out, you’re realizing everyday you’re doing this, you’re saving lives.”
According to Wertz, for the blood drives hosted on campus, students and faculty can make an appointment online or just walk in. To donate, one must bring an ID, and it’s recommended to eat a good meal and drink water beforehand, Wertz said.
Wertz also emphasized that every person who wants to donate goes through a screening to make sure they are eligible to donate and that donating is safe for them, so there is no need to be nervous.
Weinberg senior Catherine Apolot donated blood at the Nov. 6 drive.
“I’ve just never done it before, and my friend was going to donate blood, and so I decided, ‘hey why not,’ and so I’m here.” Apolot said. “This feels like something I would want to do to help people, which is good.”
More blood drives will be held at NU on Nov. 12 and Dec. 2. Additionally, NU is hosting a blood drive at Wrigley Field on Nov. 10, 11 and 14. Any student who donates blood at the Wrigley drive gets to walk on the field.
Students can also contribute to the campaign by donating at any local donation center and signing up through the Big Ten Abbott Page. All donors who participate in the blood drives on campus receive giveaways such as a T-shirt, bucket hat and coupons.
“Giving blood is so important because I don’t think people realize that a lot of us during our lifetimes will need blood,” Wertz said. “You are directly able to support people by donating blood and you know that you’re truly making a difference just by taking about an hour of your day to donate.”
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