Vol fans will have the chance to bleed orange for the Medic Regional Blood Center’s twenty-sixth annual Battle of the Orange and Blue blood drive next week.
Each year UT takes on the University of Kentucky in the friendly competition to see which fan base can bring in more blood donations during a five-day period. The drive begins Monday, November 18, and ends Friday, November 22.
“It’s a fun way to play off the football rivalry and get the community involved,” said Christi Fightmaster, director of public relations for Medic.
Kentucky has won the competition the past two years. The overall record of the series is twelve wins for each school, and one tie.
Each weekday, faculty, staff, and students may donate from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Carolyn P. Brown University Center, rooms 223 through 225. Other campus donation locations are as follows:
- Tuesday, November 19—noon to 8:00 p.m. in the South Carrick Hall lobby
- Thursday, November 21—noon to 8:00 p.m. in the Hess Hall lobby
Anyone can donate blood Monday through Friday at various campus locations or at one of Medic’s two local donor centers, located at 1601 Ailor Avenue in Knoxville and 11000 Kingston Pike in Farragut.
Donors at all locations 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. Donors who visit one of Medic’s donor centers also will receive a free Regal Cinemas movie pass with no expiration date.
The competition began in 1987 as a way for the Medic Regional Blood Center and the Kentucky Blood Center to collect enough blood to adequately supply local hospitals during the holiday season. Blood donations decline during the holiday season, though the need often increases this time of year.
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C O N T A C T :
Christi Fightmaster, Medic (524-3074, cfightmaster@medicblood.org)
Rebekah Winkler, UT Media Relations (974-8304, rwinkler@utk.edu)