For the past 32 years, USC and Clemson have engaged in a ‘blood battle’ to see which school can have the most students donate blood. For Gamecocks, much of the event is about beating a traditional foe, but for the American Red Cross, it's a way to meet an important need.
Kelly Moore, the Red Cross account manager for USC, said her goal is to collect over 500 pints of blood a day at USC during the drive. Last year, about 3,500 USC students, faculty and staff donated.
The Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive is one of the largest multi-day blood drives in the nation. Since the competition began, the universities have collected over 100,000 pints of blood.
For Moore, campus events often involve clearing up misconceptions about blood donation for first-time donors, such as how tattoos and piercings affect eligibility. In order to donate, donors have to be at least 110 pounds and in good health and have a picture ID. It’s very important to eat a good healthy meal before donating and to drink lots of water.
“South Carolina is a regulated state now so if you get your tattoo at a licensed parlor in South Carolina, we could get one this morning and donate blood today,” Moore said.
The first 50 donors each day at Russell House between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon receive a $10 Visa gift card. All donors have the chance to enter in a raffle to win prizes, snacks are provided and a free T-shirt is given to everyone who donates.
And every pint donated can save three lives.
First-year pharmacy student Tara Sullivan and first-year marketing student Ellen Vanagel both donated at Russell on Wednesday afternoon.
“If I needed to get blood, I’d want someone to do the same for me,” Sullivan said. “It feels like such a good thing to do. You’re literally helping three lives.”
According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. requires a blood donation every two seconds. And since blood cannot be manufactured, donors are always needed.
“The most important thing to remember is you never know when you might need a pint of blood,” Moore said. “We try to use it as an educational piece; you’re young, become a life-long donor. Hopefully they have a great experience during this fun rivalry, they get the really cool T-shirt and at the same time we can educate them — we need you to do this as much as possible.”
USC leads the blood battle 17-14, and the Gamecocks have beaten the Tigers for eight consecutive years.
If you are unsure if you’re eligible to donate or not, be sure to check out redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements.