The Beavers may have lost this year’s Civil War, and the team’s marching band may have lost the Civil War flag football game, but Oregon State University can boast about its victory over the University of Oregon in the fourth-annual Civil War Blood Drive.
The annual competition ended with a final score of 2,673 donor votes for the Beavers and 2,220 for the Ducks.
While the total number of votes was fairly close, a total of 971 students gave on behalf of OSU, compared with 442 for the University.
Lane Memorial Blood Bank teamed up with American Red Cross and alumni associations of the two dueling universities to organize and conduct the statewide blood drive in which participants vote for either the Ducks or the Beavers when they give blood.
The Civil War Blood Drive comes at a crucial time of year. During the holidays, regular donors are often out of town and fewer people are able to donate with the coming influenza season, Lane Memorial Blood Bank Community Affairs Coordinator Kristi Henderson said.
“It’s really nice we can use the competition and spirit from the game to get new donors,” she said, adding that it’s the most successful blood drive on campus every year.
This year, 50 people in Eugene gave on behalf of the Beavers, and four people in Corvallis gave on behalf of the Ducks. That was disappointing for Red Cross Manager of Communication and Marketing and former University student Clare Matthias.
The Civil War Blood Drive is the largest blood drive in the Northwest, she said. The American Association of Blood Banks gave representatives from the University, OSU, the American Red Cross and the Lane Memorial Blood Bank plaques in October during a conference in Seattle. The awards were for the organizations’ efforts in the 2004 blood drive.
The AABB is an organization that helps blood banks advance the industry of transfusion, Matthias said.
The award was for merit in an education category, recognizing an organization’s outstanding efforts, she said.
Director of Alumni Programs Ronnel Curry accepted the award on behalf of the University.
Although the drive is over, Lane Memorial Blood Bank is looking for more donors to help the bank keep its blood supply level sufficient. Matthias said supplies of the uncommon B negative and O negative blood types are usually low.
Hospitals in the Northwest are constantly filled with premature babies, accident victims, cancer and surgery patients and other ill and injured people who, without transfusions, will die. When a person donates his or her blood, the blood is separated into red cells, platelets and plasma. That means one unit of blood could ultimately save three lives.
According to the American Red Cross’ Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services Web site, donors must be 16 years old or older, healthy and weigh at least 110 pounds.
Prior to donating, the Red Cross urges donors to get a good night’s sleep, eat a meal that contains iron-rich foods such as red meat, fish, poultry, beans, raisins or prunes, and drink extra water and fluids to replace the amount that will be donated. It warns against consuming caffeine and fatty foods.
Oregon State beats Ducks in Civil War Blood Drive
Daily Emerald
November 22, 2005
Mark McCulloch, assistant director of information systems for the Business Affairs Office, donates to the Lane Memorial Blood Bank.
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