Community members save up to 165 lives at Boreal Community Media's 'Give Life to the Max' event
Nov 20, 2025 08:29AM ● By Content Editor
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - November 20, 2025
A huge thank you to everyone who came out to donate blood during the Boreal Community Media "Give Life to the Max" event on Tuesday, November 18, as part of the statewide Give to the Max Day, which is today!
We had a goal to have over 45 community members sign up to donate blood, and we had over 50! Additionally, those donors gave 55 units of blood (a feat which Memorial Blood Centers called "amazing" so THANK YOU!
What's even more amazing to us (as if it could get even more so!) is that this blood, thanks to all of you, could help save up to 165 lives, according to Memorial Blood Centers.
One of the reasons we decided to partner with Memorial Blood Centers is that they are the single blood supplier to 19 hospitals in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as to both air ambulance services in Minnesota. If you know someone who has had to receive a blood transfusion in the air or in northern Minnesota or NW Wisconsin, it most likely came from donors who donated through Memorial Blood Centers. And, as we saw from community member Ashley Konop's story, you never know when you or someone you know might need blood!
As part of the event, we also aimed to raise awareness about becoming a blood stem cell donor. We shared the stories of local Robert Hackett and also Cook County-native Martina Summer Hall, who both received life-saving blood stem cell transplants after receiving cancer diagnoses. Several people stopped by on the 18th to learn more.
Joining the registry can be done at any time through the NMDP (formerly Bethematch.org). Learn more here.
Today: Give to the Max Day - Help Us Sustain Our Community Work
We saw on Tuesday how powerful the Boreal community is when we come together to Give Life to the Max. Today, we ask you to extend that spirit of community support on Give to the Max Day!
Boreal Community Media is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to keeping communities connected through daily online local news, stories, free classified ads, an event calendar, and hosting free community events like the successful blood drive you just read about, as well as free tech support to community members during the summer months.
Your financial support directly funds these efforts and operational needs, ensuring that this local resource remains free and accessible to all, and making events like the one on Tuesday possible.
We have set a goal of raising $500 this Give to the Max Day, and we need your help to reach it! Your financial gift helps to keep Boreal Community Media running.
Thank you to all who donated, shared their stories, and talked about the event with a fellow community member. Thank you to The Hub for providing their space (inside and out) for us to use that day. Finally, thank you to Memorial Blood Centers and NMDP for their partnership and for helping us potentially save lives in our community.
Thank you to all who donated, shared their stories, and talked about the event with a fellow community member. Thank you to The Hub for providing their space (inside and out) for us to use that day. Finally, thank you to Memorial Blood Centers and NMDP for their partnership and for helping us potentially save lives in our community.
