Florida Enjoys Slim Lead Over Kentucky in Blood Drive

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 16, 2019) — The Gators remained ahead of Kentucky after the second day of Big Blue Slam and leads the 11th annual competition by only 28, 601 to 573.

Big Blue Slam is the annual blood battle between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the University of Florida to see which fans can donate the most blood. The competition week goes through Friday, Jan. 18, and is at all Kentucky Blood Center (KBC) donor centers and blood drives.

Kentucky and Florida are tied, with five wins apiece, in this yearly challenge between KBC and LifeSouth Community Blood Centers in Gainesville. Big Blue Slam helps to encourage blood donors when winter weather and flu season can hamper donations.

“Even though the Gators have the lead after one day, we know the Big Blue Nation is ready to roll up their sleeves and save lives the rest of the week,” said Martha Osborne, Kentucky Blood Center’s vice president of marketing.

As a thank you for saving a life, Kentucky donors will receive a long-sleeve Big Blue Slam T-shirt.

Donors may give at any KBC mobile blood drive or donor center. KBC donor centers, which will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Slam week, are listed below:

Andover Donor Center

3130 Maple Leaf Drive, Lexington

Beaumont Donor Center

3121 Beaumont Centre Circle, Lexington

Hillview Donor Center

5406 Antle Drive, Louisville

Middletown Donor Center

12905 Shelbyville Road, Louisville

Pikeville Donor Center

472 S. Mayo Trail, Pikeville

Somerset Donor Center

10 Stonegate Centre (Stoplight 16A), Somerset

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 ID and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at http://kybloodcenter.org.

Walk-ins are welcome. To schedule a donation or find other donation locations, visit http://kybloodcenter.org or call 800-775-2522.

Celebrating 50 years of saving lives in Kentucky, KBC is the largest independent, full-service, nonprofit blood center in Kentucky. Licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, 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.