University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers fans!
Our student-athletes give their blood, sweat and tears to make you and the entire state of Minnesota proud.
Now we are asking all Gophers to give some blood to help save a life. Minnesota is competing in the Big Ten's annual We Give Blood drive from August 26 - December 4.
Every donation can help save up to three lives, and someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds.
The country continues to face urgent blood shortages, with some blood centers reporting less than a one-day supply of blood on hand. Blood donations are needed for a variety of medical reasons, including trauma and accident victims, mothers experiencing complications after childbirth, and individuals receiving cancer treatment.
With the We Give Blood drive competition, Abbott is working with Big Ten universities and blood centers across the country to ignite the next generation of lifelong blood donors. The competition will bring more blood drives to campuses, giving college students an opportunity to donate blood. Students, alumni and fans across the country can donate blood at any location and log their donation to help their school compete for the $1 million from Abbott, plus be eligible to receive an exclusive, limited-edition Minnesota t-shirt (while supplies last).
How to Participate:
Students, fans and alumni who donates blood anywhere in the U.S. between Aug. 12 and Dec. 4 can count their donation for the Gophers in three easy steps:
1. Donate blood at any blood drive or blood center in the U.S.
2. Take a photo or save your donation confirmation.
3. Log it at BigTen.org/Abbott or text GIVEBLOOD to 222688 (ABBOTT).
Sign up. Donate. Log your donation under Minnesota!
And if you squint, it looks Maroon!
Go Gophers!
*University of Minnesota faculty and staff, you can earn 500 wellbeing points by logging your donation for the Abbott Big Ten We Give Blood competition. Follow these easy steps to receive your points throughout the competition, September 1 through December 4, 2026:
- Donating blood at an official University of Minnesota location? Receive your voucher code from an on-site volunteer after giving blood and proceed to log into your Personify Health account via desktop or app. Click on Home>Rewards>Redeem A Voucher>Enter 10 Digit Voucher Code>Click Submit.
- Donating blood at another location? Take a photo or save your donation confirmation, log it at BigTen.org/Abbott/submit or by texting GIVEBLOOD to 222688 (ABBOTT), and fill out this form to receive your voucher code: z.umn.edu/BloodDriveVoucher.