Lincoln Mayor Declares We Give Blood Day
The city is rallying for the Abbott-Big Ten blood donation challenge to boost state numbers.
Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird has officially declared October 20 as We Give Blood Day to support the ongoing Abbott-Big Ten donation competition. Residents are encouraged to help the state close a 2,700-donation gap against rival Wisconsin by the December deadline.
Why it matters
University officials are focusing on this initiative to expand the donor base as older contributors age out of the pool. Nebraska hopes to secure a $1 million grant while strengthening its critical medical supply reserves through increased community participation.
Nebraska has logged 10,142 blood donations, an increase of 50 percent compared to last year. Supporters must now average more than 300 donations per day to overtake Wisconsin by the December 5 deadline.
The players
Leirion Gaylor Baird
Leirion Gaylor Baird is the Mayor of Lincoln who issued the proclamation for We Give Blood Day.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public research university hosting campus blood drives to bolster state donation metrics.
The details
Donors can log their contributions through the BigTen.org/Abbott portal or by texting GIVEBLOOD to 222688 with a photo. A campus blood drive held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln served as a central hub for the city-wide effort.
Timeline
August 12 marked the start of donations counting toward the competition.
October 20 served as We Give Blood Day and the date of the campus blood drive.
December 5 is the final deadline for the competition.
Market Landscape
This mobilization effort is part of the broader Abbott-Big Ten Conference We Give Blood competition. The campaign positions Nebraska against Wisconsin in a high-stakes effort to secure a $1 million grant for university health initiatives.
Residents can directly impact the state's standing by logging their donations at BigTen.org/Abbott. Participation helps address the reliance on an aging donor demographic, where one-quarter of contributors are currently 65 or older.
The takeaway
Boosting donation rates is essential to replacing an aging pool of regular blood contributors. Supporters can help close the gap by scheduling appointments and ensuring their contributions are properly logged for the state competition.
What happens next
The competition will continue until the deadline on December 5, when the final results will determine the recipient of the $1 million grant.
Further reading
Learn more about local efforts by visiting the Philanthropy section of our site.
More information
Find participating locations and schedule your donation at the local blood drive list.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KFXL.
Live Poll
Do you believe participating in university-led blood drives is an effective way to improve community health?
