• UCLA joins all 18 Big Ten schools competing in this year’s "We Give Blood" drive — a nationwide competition between all 18 Big Ten schools to drive the most blood donations and win a $1 million grant from global healthcare company Abbott.
• For only the second time in its history, the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis after donations dropped to a four-year summer low, threatening the availability of lifesaving blood for patients across the country.
• UCLA students, alumni, and fans can now log blood donations at bigten.org/abbott/ucla or by texting GIVEBLOOD to 222688 (ABBOTT) to count for UCLA from now through Dec. 4.
• Donations made on or after Aug. 12 will count toward the competition, which officially kicked off Aug. 26.

LOS ANGELES — UCLA Athletics is calling all Bruins to donate blood during the "We Give Blood" drive, sponsored by Abbott and the Big Ten. The We Give Blood drive is a nationwide competition to turn school pride into life-saving action.

For only the second time in its history, the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis after donations dropped to a four-year summer low, threatening the availability of lifesaving blood for patients across the country.

The competition officially kicked off Aug. 26, but to help address current shortages, Abbott and the Big Ten will honor any blood donations made starting Aug. 12. Bruins from across the country can get involved as early as today by logging any blood donation made on or after August 12, or by scheduling a blood donation at their nearest blood drive or center – including at the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center with two locations on and near campus:

• Ackerman Student Union Donor Center, 380 Westwood Plaza, A-Level. Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.
• Westwood Village Donor Center, 1045 Gayley Avenue, 2nd Floor. Monday – Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“The ‘We Give Blood’ drive is about turning Bruin pride into life-saving action,” said Martin Jarmond, The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. “Bruins have always stepped up when called upon. At a time when our nation is facing a blood shortage, this is an opportunity for our students, alumni and fans to come together, make a meaningful impact, and help save lives.”

Inspiring a new generation of donors
In addition to addressing current shortages, the "We Give Blood" competition also aims to help fuel a new generation of donors. Today, nearly a quarter of all blood donations come from people over 65, many of whom will eventually be unable to donate. With only about 3% of those in the U.S. eligible to donate doing so, the need to recruit new donors is urgent. In the Big Ten community-population alone, its nearly 40 million people are likely eligible but may not yet be giving blood. If 1 in 15 of those people commit to donating blood into the future, that would close the gap left by an aging donor population.

‘We Give Blood’ at UCLA In the competition’s first two years, more than 100,000 total donations helped save as many as 300,000 lives. Each school’s efforts helped secure a sustainable blood supply that the health system will depend on for decades to come: nearly one-third of student donors last year gave blood for the first time, and 96% said they would do it again.

Last year, UCLA students, fans, and alumni from across the country played a significant role in saving lives while competing for their school:

• With 2,584 total donations, UCLA came in twelfth place in the "We Give Blood" drive in 2025.
• Of any school in the conference, UCLA had the highest percentage of donations that came from first-time donors (12.93%).
• 24% of UCLA’s donations came from within LA – one of the highest in-city donation rates of any school in the competition.

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 UCLA 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/ucla or text GIVEBLOOD to 222688 (ABBOTT).

Donation totals will be tracked on a live leaderboard at BigTen.org/Abbott throughout the campaign.

People who show up to donate and log their donation made from Aug. 12 to Dec. 4 will be eligible to receive an exclusive, limited-edition UCLA T-shirt while supplies last* and help their school be one step closer to winning $1 million from Abbott to advance student or community health.

About the ‘We Give Blood’ drive

"We Give Blood" is a nationwide blood donation competition presented by Abbott and the Big Ten Conference, now in its third year. All 18 Big Ten universities compete for the most recorded donations, with the winning school receiving a $1 million grant from Abbott to advance student or community health. In its first two years, the campaign generated more than 100,000 donations collectively and helped save as many as 300,000 lives.

* Any potential incentives related to this program are non-transferable and not redeemable for cash. T-shirts are available while supplies last. For terms and conditions, visit bigten.org/abbott/ucla.