If you have Big Ten school ties, you can donate blood while also helping your favorite institution. The Abbott Big Ten Blood Drive competition runs through Dec. 5, the end of its regular football season. For Illini fans, this is the opportunity to receive an orange Illinois T-shirt in exchange for their donation.
Impact Life has donation centers in Springfield, Decatur, Urbana, Danville and Mattoon. Make a blood donation before Dec. 4 at a center or any mobile blood drive. Take a selfie with the post-donation wrap on your arm. Upload that and choose your shirt size with an address to mail it to. If you have participated in this fan challenge before, the shirt style in 2026 is different than the previous two years.
The school receiving credit for the most donations will be awarded a $1 million prize to advance student and community health.
Blood Donation Hall-of-Famer David Butt, who was featured in a recent Illinois Times cover story, says the winning formula for this challenge is to make a donation in September for the T-shirt. Then, after at least 56 days, make another donation in November to double your impact on behalf of your favorite school.
Even if your donation is part of a local blood drive, you can still also upload it to the Big Ten for this challenge.
