LifeSource, Chicagoland's Blood Center, is a non-profit corporation established in 1987 through the merger of the Blood Center of Northern Illinois and the Red Cross Blood Services - Mid America Region. LifeSource is the largest blood center in Illinois and distributes a half-million blood products annually to approximately 60 area hospitals in meeting the need for patient transfusion therapy.

LifeSource operates 23 donor centers, 2 mobile unit supported donor centers and conducts an average of 10 mobile blood drives daily.  LifeSource recruits donors, collects bone marrow, and draws blood to separate into useful components like: whole blood, platelets, plasma, stem cells and other special products for hospitals and healthcare customers.