CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - The second year of the "We Give Blood" competition is well underway on Big Ten Conference campuses throughout the country. The competition pits all the schools in the conference against each other to find out who can donate the most blood.
The University of Illinois is currently in sixth place in the standings. You can find a live leaderboard by clicking here.
The competition is a partnership between Abbott and the Big Ten, with the winning school awarded $1 million to use for community or student health. The goal of the drive is to get more young people to donate.
"Those first-time blood donors that come out, they make that donation, they make it a part of what they do, it just becomes part of the routine," said Jayce Eustice of the Red Cross. The Red Cross was a part of the Homecoming Blood Drive on campus Wednesday that benefited the competition.
"They feel good about what they're doing, they're giving back and donating that blood and saving lives in the process," Eustice continued.Â
Deanna Cardone is a marketing director for Abbott, who knows firsthand how important it is to donate blood.
"I actually needed a blood transfusion myself about six years ago when I had my twin boys," Cardone told WAND News. "One out of 83 moms does need a transfusion during childbirth, so this is such an important cause. One donation can save up to three lives."
Students, alumni and fans can all donate to the competition. You can donate anywhere, but you will need to upload proof of your donation to the website to have it count for your school.
The competition runs through Dec. 5. The winner will be announced at the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6.
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