The Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge is coming up, and VCU always loses, said Lindsay Thomas, director of student promotions and women’s athletic marketing for VCU.
For four years the 12 schools within the CAA conference battle it out for blood donations, and for four years the University of Delaware has taken home the winning title.
“We want to start a tradition where people know we are not going to be dead last,” said Thomas.
This year, VCU Athletics wants to step it up with a goal of 700 donors.
Although VCU Athletics is sponsoring the blood drive, it will represent VCU as a whole and is open to students, faculty and staff as well as Richmond residents.
“When people think of CAA, they usually think of athletic conferences instead of academic conferences,” said Amber Godfrey, an intern with the VCU athletics marketing department.
So how can students take VCU to the top?
Sign up for an appointment: www.vadonor.com, sponsor code: VCU.
Get some sleep the night before.
Drink lots of fluids.
Don’t skip breakfast! Eat one to four hours before donating.
Avoid caffeine, it can increase your pulse rate.
Bring a picture ID and list of medications you are taking.
Tell the blood collection specialists if you feel hot or cold, fatigue, pain or lightheadedness.
If your iron is low try eating like peaches, raisins, peas, chicken, clams, oysters, whole-grain breads, eggs.
You must be 17-years-old and 110 pounds.
“Make appointments,” Thomas said. The CAA commissioners of the challenge count the number of donors who sign up. Once signed up, whether or not the blood donation is successful, it counts as an attempted donation. The number of productive units of blood collected are counted and a winner is determined.
“If you sign up and you come, it counts for us,” Thomas said. She said even those who are turned down for too much iron or any other technicality should be commended because, “at least you tried. You made that step to effect change,” she said.
Effecting change is the main goal, said Godfrey and Thomas.
“It would be great to win this for VCU, but we want blood,” Thomas said. “We want to help Virginia Blood Services get blood because they are really, really low.”
According to documents from Virginia Blood Services “you can afford to share” blood.
The average human contains 10 to 12 pints of blood. When donating, donors give a little less than one pint. One pint can save three lives, and the human body automatically replenishes the volume lost within 24 hours.
The blood will go to VCU Medical Center and other surrounding hospitals. The winning school will receive an award at a basketball game in January.
Donors will receive free T-shirts and snacks, as well as free subs donated from Jersey Mike’s.
Thomas feels VCU can achieve their goal this year, and stressed the importance of making appointments and making a difference.
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 27
Time: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Place: Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center
Sign up online: www.vadonor.com, sponsor code: VCU
“As a student sometimes you’re living in a bubble and you forget some of the important things you can do,” said Thomas. “This is something as a student that you can do that could potentially help save a family member, another student, a teacher. You never know who you could be saving with that pint of blood that you give.”
Top 10 reasons to donate:
1.4.5 million lives are saved each year.
2. Every three seconds someone needs blood.
3. It takes less than three minutes.
4. 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate, but only 5 percent do.
5. 95 percent of Americans will need blood by the age of 72.
6. Virginia Blood Services is the sole provider of blood for Virginia hospitals.
7. Donating blood is completely safe.
8. Males reduce their risk of heart disease by 50 percent if they donate at least once a year.
9. 7 percent of your body weight is made up of blood.
10. You have the power to save three lives right now.
Information from Virginia Blood Services