Sacramento State and UC Davis will go head-to-head once again as they compete to collect blood in the second annual Causeway Classic Blood Drive Competition

Sac State’s on-campus blood drive took place Monday and Tuesday in the University Union Ballroom. UC Davis will hold its drive Nov. 17 and 18. This battle for supremacy intends to attract more donors through the spirit of competition.

A competition between the two rival schools is a great way to attract attention, said Ashley Rebholtz, spokesperson for Blood Source who is also in charge of organizing the event for Sac State.

The number of donors and blood donated is still unknown, but Vicki Wolfe, spokesperson for Blood Source, said the outcome should be greater this time than it was last year.

“We are trying to boost the numbers this year to 1,000 pints and to sign up 300 people on the bone marrow list,” said Veronica Delgadl, senior public relations major. “This is what we are going to push for this year and to stress how important the commitment really is.”

Last year, Sac State lost the Causeway Classic Blood Drive competition with 1,003 donors and a total of 816 pints of blood.

In contrast, UC Davis managed to attract 1,502 donors and gather 1,301 pints last year, Rebholtz said.

Timothy Howard, professor of communication studies, said his public relations class, which is in charge of promoting the event, anticipated 200 to 300 pints of blood last year and received a lot more. The class is hoping to get more than 1,000 pints of blood through this blood drive.

Elizabeth Lewis, senior public relations major, said UC Davis gathered more blood than Sac State last year because it has a medical program that teaches its students the importance of blood donations and how donating blood saves lives.

Nonetheless, Sac State’s number of donations has significantly increased since the Causeway Classic Blood Drive started last year and is predicted to rise every year, Wolfe said.

The importance of this event for Sac State is to get people involved in the community and to save lives, Rebholtz said.

“I give blood not only because I’ll have the opportunity to win different kinds of goodies, but because a blood donation is truly a gift of life,” said Yeimi Lopez, Associated Students Inc. director of undeclared students.

This event builds a community and saves lives, Howard said.

“It was amazing to witness the students stepping up to the plate, participating in the game and giving,” Howard said. “I was humbled by the generosity and the kindness and the patience and the willingness of all the students on this campus who donated their blood.”

Even more important and less collected is the donation of marrow, Rebholtz said.

During the Causeway Classic, participants had an opportunity to sign up and become a potential marrow donor through Be the Match foundation.

According to Blood Source’s website, the Be the Match foundation has facilitated more than 33,000 unrelated marrow transplants and more than 100,000 volunteers have given a simple cheek swab of tissue to join the registry of potential donors.

The marrow match registry is another way to save someone’s life and it is not too late to do so. Anyone meeting the blood drive requirements can call the same Blood Source number and schedule an appointment for the swab, Rebholtz said.

It is important that everyone participates because there is a need for racial variation in the marrow donation, Howard said.

During this year’s drive, all donors received a free Blood Source T-shirt, a coupon for a free milkshake and a chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. Donors were also given a free ticket to see “Dolphins and Whales” at the Esquire IMAX Theater and entrance in a raffle to win one of 20 iPods.

In addition, $500 will be awarded to the group on campus whose members donate the most blood.

The winning group is still unknown, but will be announced at the Causeway Classic.

This year’s Causeway Classic Blood Drive was sponsored mainly by Blood Source, but many departments and organizations helped, Howard said.

Some of these groups include ASI, Recreational Sports, Sac State staff, public relations, Public Relations Planning and Management class, Student Life and Services, The Well and others, Rebholtz said.

It is never too late to donate blood and save a life, Rebholtz said.

To donate blood or marrow call Blood Source at 1-866-822-5663 or visit bloodsource.org to set up an appointment.

The donated blood can still count toward the competition.

To do this, Rebholtz said let the person over the phone know the school code – Sac State’s is L029 – or state the name of the school for whch you want your donation to count.