Student Impact Award honors students who give blood, volunteer, and/or host a blood drive

(June 5, 2024 | Ottumwa, IA) – Nine students from area high schools have received the ImpactLife Student Impact Award, given annually to students who have shown exemplary support of our region’s blood supply. The Student Impact Award Program recognizes the many ways students can support the blood supply: as donors, advocates, volunteers, and blood drive coordinators. Recipients of the Student Impact Award have completed one of the following activities while in high school: donated blood at least six times, recruited at least six new blood donors, or have hosted a local blood drive.

“Working towards the Student Impact Award is a great way for students to prove their leadership skills, earn volunteer hours, and help our community,” said Lindsay Erhardt-Hansen, Manager, Donor Relations. “Our Student Impact Award recipients have demonstrated commitment and dedication to helping others. These characteristics will benefit our community long into the future.”

Student Impact Award recipients will receive an award certificate and a red cord that signifies the connection between the blood donor, ImpactLife, and patients who have been helped by the student’s support of our region’s blood supply. With permission from their school, students may choose to wear the red cord in their high school graduation ceremony.

Local recipients of the Student Impact Award include:

Knoxville High School:

Anna Anderson, Gage Chapman, and Natalie Collins

Oskaloosa High School:

Camryn Cassens and Gwyneth Utterback

Pleasantville High School:

Taylor Smith, Fin Cowden, Sicily Schuck, and Allison Van Ellen

About ImpactLife

ImpactLife is a not-for-profit community organization providing blood services to more than 100 hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as resource sharing partners across the country. Services extend from southcentral Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri and from Danville, Illinois to Chariton, Iowa. (See a map of the ImpactLife service region.) ImpactLife operates 22 Donor Centers and holds approximately 5000 mobile blood drives annually to provide blood components needed for patient transfusions at hospitals throughout our region.

For more information, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube.