IU tops Purdue for 3rd year in 11th blood donor challenge

The Old Oaken Bucket was not the only traveling trophy awarded to IU on Nov. 17. The “Blood Bucket” was presented to the Hoosier community during halftime at Memorial Stadium to commemorate IU’s third consecutive victory over Purdue in the IU-Purdue Blood Donor Challenge. \nJunior Carrie Garlisch, an active blood donor since the age of 18, said she was thrilled to have an opportunity to help people in need of blood. Beating Purdue in this competition, she said, was simply the cherry on top.\n“Giving blood is the easiest way to help save a life,” Garlisch said. “But outdoing Purdue at anything is always fun, too.” \nIU tallied 4,302 donors, while Purdue fell a bit short at 3,994. This total of 8,264 is a few hundred short of the 2006 total of 8,595 donors. More than 40,000 participants have given blood since the competition’s inception in 1997.\nThe Blood Donor Challenge was established as a friendly competition to encourage Indiana residents to donate blood. Like the IU-Purdue rivalry, the donation challenge is spread across the state. Hoosier residents could donate blood in the name of either university at a local blood agency.\nTom Martz, president and CEO of the IU Alumni Association, said the challenge might be fueled by the rivalry between the two schools, but its ultimate focus is on the greater goal of increasing the state’s blood supply.\n“We set it up as a friendly competition,” Martz said. “(But) the cooperative effort of (Purdue and IU) for the cause of replenishing the state’s blood bank supply makes everyone a winner.”\nGarlisch said keeping the blood bank full has been her major motivation for giving blood all her life, but she joked that the competition with “the other Big Ten school” was also a driving factor in her choice to donate at this time.\n“Sure, the goal is to give the most blood possible, but this doesn’t take away from the competition between us,” she said. “I am, after all, in the Facebook group called ‘Breathe if you hate Purdue.’”\nThe donor challenge is sponsored by the IU and Purdue Alumni Associations, Indiana Blood Center and the American Red Cross. There is a continual need for blood donors, and local residents still interested in donating should call 1-800-GIVE LIFE or visit GiveLife.org to schedule an appointment. They can also visit www.monroe-redcross.org/blood.html for more information.