‘Saving lives is the goal’: Marching Illini encouraging stem cell donations with this weekend’s halftime show

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois Football is back in Memorial Stadium this Saturday, and with that, comes a unique halftime show from the Marching Illini.

This weekend, the group’s show will spread a message of hope, spreading awareness about the National Marrow Donor Program ( NMDP ), formerly known as “Be The Match.”

The non-profit organization looks for people to donate blood stem cells to save people battling blood cancers and blood disorders.

“College marching bands throughout the country have saved more than 200 lives with this organization,” Barry Houser, the band’s director, said. “We’ve had one individual that’s been identified in our past. And we have a current member that will actually be donating after this game.”

Houser knows this is an important conversation to have because often when people are battling certain health conditions, their family members are not “matches” and can’t donate. Some Marching Illini members got their cheeks swabbed this past week to see if they match with someone in need of stem cells.

“The fact that we’re building that registry and hopefully finding more matches to save more lives, that’s really the big goal of what we’re hoping to do this week,” Houser added.

You can learn more about NMDP on their website . If you’re interested in donating, click here for more information. The Marching Illini will also share a QR code at the game on Saturday. The halftime show will include hits from Beyonce, Journey and The Monkeys.

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