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Donate for Mothers is Vitalant’s blood drive program that honors the diverse experiences of moms through the act of blood donation. It is a special call to action to inspire and empower members of the community to host a blood drive or donate blood in honor of a mom in their life.

Blood transfusions help patients in need, and they are especially critical for women who experience pregnancy-related complications. In fact, 1 in 83 mothers need a blood transfusion after giving birth. Every day, Vitalant needs to collect more than 4,500 blood, platelet and plasma donations, delivering lifesaving blood products to patients in hospitals coast-to-coast.

There are two ways to register to donate blood in support of the Donate for Mothers in May cause:

OPTION 1: Give blood with Donate for Mothers in May at a Vitalant blood drive or donation center.

Stroger Hospital

Keshet Blood Drive

OPTION 2: Give blood with Donate for Mothers no matter where you live with the Virtual Blood Drive.

Simply join the Donate for Mothers virtual blood drive by choosing your preferred donation center below and clicking the link.
After you click "Donate Now", you will be redirected to our scheduling site where you can then enter your preferred zip code to make an appointment at any Vitalant donation center or blood drive.
Be sure to use the same email address you used to join the virtual blood drive when you donate to ensure your donation will count toward Donate for Mothers.

Blood Drive at UIC	Forest Preserve Bible Church
Indian Prairie Public Library	Schaumburg Community Blood Drive
Elk Grove Community Blood Drive

Donors may also participate in the Donate for Mothers Virtual Blood Drive at any Vitalant Illinois donation center. Click on "Donate Now" and enter your preferred zip code to make an appointment at any Vitalant donation center here.

Lexi has been organizing blood drives and donating blood since she was 16 years old. In February 2025, immediately after giving birth to her daughter Cecilia, she experienced severe internal bleeding and required blood transfusions — both right after delivery and for up to five weeks afterward — to save her life.

Lexi continues to organize blood drives and advocate for blood donations. She is now a mother whose life was saved by the very blood products she once helped collect.

“I’ve been organizing blood drives and donating since I was 16 years old. You don’t think you’ll ever need it — and then I did,” Lexi said. “I’m so grateful to the donors who saved my life. You may not know where your blood is going, but you know it’s going to be used in the right way. You never know when someone is going to need that blood.”

Kristin was asleep in bed in the middle of the night when her water broke. Several minutes later she started having a seizure and losing blood. Her husband called the paramedics, and she was rushed to the hospital where she needed an emergency C-section. She suffered from a rare but life-threatening pregnancy complication called an Amniotic Fluid Embolism, and she needed 26 blood transfusions to save her life. When Kristin woke up in the ICU 48 hour later, the first thing she said to her husband was “why are all of these people in our bedroom?”

“I’m just grateful for every moment that I get to be here,” Kristin said. “There are so many people to thank. The paramedics, my husband for calling 911, the doctor that was on-call, but I truly would not be here today if it weren’t for blood donors. I had a massive hemorrhage where I was bleeding out and I would not be alive if those 26 units had not been on the shelf when I arrived at the hospital.” Pregnancy complications like Kristin’s are why we Donate for Mothers.

Lyn and her daughter, Amaya, both needed blood transfusions after Amaya was delivered by C-section. Amaya was born very pale due to a fetal-maternal hemorrhage and required two blood transfusions at just two days old. Lyn also needed several transfusions following delivery. It was because of volunteer blood donors that both mother and daughter were able to recover and go home together.

“Without blood donors, we would not be here today,” Lyn said. “If strangers hadn’t donated blood for us, they gave a part of themselves to save us. That’s something our family will never forget.”