Donate Blood, Save Lives in 'Battle of the Bluegrass'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 28, 2013) — With football season getting underway, University of Kentucky students, faculty and staff can prove they "bleed blue" during the Battle of the Bluegrass, Kentucky Blood Center’s first campus blood drives of school year.

UK donors can give blood at convenient campus locations, beginning Wednesday, Aug. 28.

The blood drive schedule is as follows:

Singletary Center for the Arts

Tuesday, Sept. 3 - Friday, Sept. 6 

10 am – 6 pm

WT Young Library

Tuesday, Sept. 3

2 – 7 pm

and 

Friday, Sept. 6

10 am – 3 pm

Ralph G. Anderson Building

Wednesday, Sept. 4 & Thursday, Sept. 5

9 am – 4 pm

Johnson Center

Wednesday, Aug. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 5

1 – 7:30 pm

College of Health Sciences

Tuesday, Sept. 10

9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

College of Medicine

Tuesday, Sept. 10

Noon – 5 p.m.

College of Nursing

Wednesday, Sept. 11

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Donors will receive a Battle of the Bluegrass Game Day T-shirt and two passes to the Keeneland Fall Meet. They will also be entered to win two tickets to the Kentucky-Louisville game in Lexington and have a chance to win a 2013 Toyota Prius.

“It’s football time in Kentucky, and the Battle of the Bluegrass is a great way for donors to kick-off the season. It also comes at a crucial time for us as blood supplies, especially those negative blood types, are feeling the effects of a long summer,” said KBC President and CEO Bill Reed.  “Battle of the Bluegrass is a great opportunity for us to encourage people to donate around the Labor Day holiday and to have a little fun, too.”

To schedule a donation, visit kybloodcenter.org or call 800.775.2522.

Blood donors must present a photo I.D., be 17-years-old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org.

About Kentucky Blood Center

KBC, the largest FDA regulated blood bank in Kentucky, is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a safe, adequate blood supply for patients at nearly 70 Kentucky hospitals and clinics in more than 60 counties. KBC relies on volunteers to donate 400 pints of blood per day to meet area patients’ needs. Over the last year KBC distributed nearly 130,000 blood components.

CONTACT:  Denise Fields, 859-519-3721.