Orange and Blue Blood Drive seeks more student involvement
Medic Regional Blood Center is currently hosting their 26th annual Battle of the Orange and Blue on UT campus. The blood drive has become a competitive tradition between the University of Tennessee and the University of Kentucky. The goal of the blood drive is to see which university can bring in the most blood donations over a five day period.
This year, the blood drive is Monday, Nov. 18 through Friday, Nov. 22. Kentucky has won the competition the past two years. Christy Fightmaster, director of public relations for the Medic Regional Blood Center, said, “We really need the students to donate Thursday and Friday.”
The blood drive is in the Carolyn P. Brown University Center, rooms 223 and 225, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the remainder of the week. Another location will appear Thursday, Nov. 21 from noon to 8 p.m. in the Hess Hall lobby.
Medic also has two local donor centers located at 11000 Kingston Pike in Farragut and 1601 Ailor Avenue in Knoxville that donors can visit this week.
Donors will receive a free game day T-shirt, a coupon for a small Frosty from Wendy’s and a coupon for a free small one-topping pizza from Papa John’s. If individuals donate at one of Medic’s donor centers, they will receive a free Regal Cinemas movie pass as well.
On Tuesday, the University Center was projected to see 125 donors. The turn out only ended up being 58. Fightmaster said that they are looking to bring in more students, “We need to rally. We are 87 donors down to Kentucky and the blood drive at the University Center has been dead. We hope the student, faculty and staff rise to the top the next few days and help us beat Kentucky.”
Edited by Zach Dennis
