For the second year in a row, Penn State has won the Blood Donor Challenge, 2,170 units to 1,937 units, defeating Michigan State University by 233 units of blood.
After 15 days of competition, the Blood Challenge "Paws for a Cause," between PSU and MSU ended yesterday at the Hub-Robeson Center. This extends Penn State's 14-year rivalry to a winning record of 9 to 5.
"We have the best collegiate blood donation program in the country, and it keeps getting better because we collect more and more blood every year," Wendi Keeler, the American Red Cross adviser for Penn State, said.
Last year Penn State collected 1,989 units of blood, only 11 units short of the goal of 2,000 units. This year, the 2,000 unit mark was exceeded by exactly 170 units.
After lagging behind MSU for almost the entire challenge, Penn State jumped forward to take the lead in the last three days of the competition. During the final days of the challenge, Penn State surpassed its goal of units collected per day, capping off yesterday with a total of 336 units of blood collected.
Keeler said she believes that the thousands of volunteers who helped throughout the duration of the challenge had a lot to do with the its success. But she also said the great turn out can be credited to the donor appreciation raffle that took place at the end of the drive. With two iPhones, four tickets to the PSU vs. MSU football game, a Nintendo Wii, and LionCash on the line, students are more motivated to donate, Keeler said.
The official winner of the competition will be announced at halftime of this weekend's football game. Although the presidents of both universities will be unable to attend the game to either accept of give away the plaque, both schools will send representatives.
Although the plaque and the rivalry are important, Keeler said it's not all about the competition.
"We certainly want to win, but we really want to see the blood there for the patients who need it," she said.
John Frantz (freshman-animal science), a first time donor, said he wasn't drawn to the blood drive because of the prizes or the free food that comes after a successful donation, but to "help humanity."
"I feel it's a good cause. I'm healthy and fit and have the blood, so why not give it to people who need it," Franz said.
Felicia Olawuni (freshman-pre-medicine) has a fear of needles, but said it didn't stop her from joining the cause.
"I still want to help out," Olawuni said.
So instead of donating, she volunteered for the Red Cross as a traffic controller, directing and checking in potential donors.
The Red Cross headquarters in Johnstown, Pa. is the sole blood supplier for about 100 counties spanning six different states, from Ohio and Pennsylvania and down to Kentucky. This regional base collects about 235,000 units of blood per year, 22,000 units come from college campuses around the area. Eight thousand of those units come from Penn State.
