It’s the time of year again, when UC Davis and CSU Sacramento face off against one another in the annual Causeway Classic, including the fourth annual ASUCD Blood and Marrow Drive, where students from their respective schools compete to see who can donate more blood and marrow.
On Nov. 1 and 2, students at Davis can donate to help the school keep its current three-year reign over Sac State.
“We’re continuing the healthy competition between campus clubs and organizations with the most participants, as donors or volunteers,” said Lisa Teixeira, student co-director of the drive. “For every donor or volunteer, the organization gets one entry into a drawing for $500.” Through the blood drive, UC Davis students have a chance to help save the lives of those in need of blood, said Brie Leon, an account manager for Blood Source, the blood drive company that puts on the UC Davis blood drives.
“One pint of blood can save up to three lives and every two-and-a-half seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion. Blood donation is a simple way that someone can make an impact,” Leon said. “We service 40 hospitals in the area, including UC Davis Medical Center, and the UC Davis blood drives make a huge difference in the lives of patients each and every year.”
If incentives of saving lives and beating Sac State again aren’t enough of a draw, the drive is also offering free giveaways and drawings for donors.
“They’ll receive the new t-shirt, a coupon for a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A at Arden Fair in Sacramento and will be entered into drawings to win an iPod Touch, IKEA gift cards and more,” Teixeira said.
In last year’s competition, Davis won by a whopping 112 pints of blood, beating Sac State for the third year in a row. In order to donate blood and earn points for your school, donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in general good health in order to donate. Donors are also encouraged to drink water and eat before donating, and must be willing to dedicate about an hour to the whole process.
Steven Lee, a leukemia patient who recently relapsed, said he believes that UC Davis and Sac State can have a huge impact this year. Lee has been a familiar face at university blood drives, hoping to promote the donation of blood and bone marrow to help cancer patients such as himself.
CHARLOTTE YOUNG can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
