With a goal of 900 blood donors in one day, the University of Delaware is hoping to land its fifth win in the eighth annual CAA Blood Challenge.
The UD blood drive is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 in the Trabant University Center’s multipurpose rooms.
The Challenge, which pits UD against 11 other schools in the Colonial Athletic Association, requires each college or university to pick one day during the fall to conduct a campus-wide blood drive. The school with the most blood donations wins.
Last year, UD brought in 604 blood donations.
The competition was initiated in 2002 by the University of Delaware. UD won the first four years of the Challenge but was narrowly defeated by Drexel University for the last three.
The other competing schools include: College of William and Mary, Hofstra University, Drexel University, George Mason University, Towson University, Northeastern University, Georgia State University, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, UNC Wilmington, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
“This competition is fun, but beyond that, it’s a sight to see,” Blood Bank president and CEO Bob Travis said. “Hundreds of students pour into the Trabant Center for more than 12 hours to give of themselves and save lives. It’s truly inspiring.”
All Blood Bank of Delmarva donor centers are closed during the CAA Blood Challenge and most employees work at the event in some capacity.
Over the past seven years, the CAA Blood Challenge has raised a total of 17,728 units of blood for the schools’ local communities.
