Kentucky Beating Tennessee in Big Blue Crush Blood Donation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 22, 2019) — It was another great day Thursday for Kentucky in the annual Big Blue Crush battle with Tennessee as 538 donors proved they bleed blue. After four days of competition with Medic Regional Blood Center, the score is 2,243 for Kentucky Blood Center and 1,583 for Medic.
“Friday is the last day of this important competition and we are expecting Big Blue Nation to finish strong,” said Martha Osborne, vice president of marketing for Kentucky Blood Center (KBC). “The turnout has been exceptional, and the blood donated is invaluable as we go into the holiday next week.”
To assure a sufficient blood supply for the holidays, KBC and Medic Regional Blood Center in Knoxville annually compete to see whose donors can give the most blood the week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Kentucky leads the rivalry 17 to 13 with one tie. Last year, the Tennessee blood center snapped UK’s eight-year win streak.
As a thank you for saving a life, donors will receive a long-sleeved Crush T-shirt, a McDonald’s coupon and a chance to win a 4-pack of tickets to the Kentucky-Louisville football game on Nov. 30 in Lexington.
KBC urges Kentucky fans to continue to build the lead by visiting any KBC donor center or mobile blood drive through Friday. A complete list of drive locations and hours is available at www.kybloodcenter.org/events/big-blue-crush.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, show a photo I.D. and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org.
Walk-ins are welcome. To schedule a donation or find other donation locations, visit kybloodcenter.org or call 800.775.2522.
About Kentucky Blood Center
Celebrating more than 50 years of saving lives in Kentucky, KBC is the largest independent, full-service, nonprofit blood center in Kentucky. Licensed by the FDA, KBC’s sole purpose is to collect, process and distribute blood for patients in Kentucky. KBC provides services in 90 Kentucky counties and has donor centers in Lexington, Louisville, Pikeville and Somerset.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.