Clemson-USC Blood Drive Underway

News Release
Published: November 17, 2008

CLEMSON — Now in its 24th year, the annual Clemson-USC Blood Drive is as much of a tradition as the match-up on the football field between the Tigers and Gamecocks.

This year’s drive will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 17-21. The AnMed Health Blood Center, The Blood Connection and the Piedmont Blood Center will take donations at various locations around campus: the Hendrix Student Center ballroom, Tillman Hall auditorium, Littlejohn Coliseum and the Holmes Hall lounge. Bloodmobiles will be set up to take donations outside Fernow Street Cafe, Edwards Hall on Jersey Lane outside the Brooks Center and the Fraternity and Sorority Housing on the Quad.

Donors will receive a long-sleeved orange T-shirt and promotional items from Belk of Anderson, The Pendleton Café and Beef O’Brady’s. Donors also will be entered in a drawing for prizes that include basketballs autographed by members of Clemson’s men’s basketball team.

“This blood drive provides enough blood to get the state’s blood banks through the holiday season,” said Russell Buchanan, a senior architecture major from Anderson and blood-drive chairman for Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, sponsor of the Clemson drive. “Many states experience a shortage during the holidays because people just aren’t thinking about giving blood at that time, but because of this blood drive, South Carolina can make it through New Year’s.”

Clemson has won the blood-drive competition between the schools for the past two years and leads the series with USC 14-9. Over the 23 years of the competition, 76,749 units of blood have been collected by both schools. Since each unit of blood can potentially save the lives of three people, roughly 230,000 lives may have been saved as a result of the annual drives.

Blood will be collected during the following times:
Monday, November 17, 2008

10 a.m.-3 p.m. USC Columbia Bloodmobile, Russell House , Greene St.