Student Alumni Association wins 14th Blood Donor Challenge

This year’s 14th annual Blood Donor Challenge collected 3,766 units of blood — which will save about 11,298 lives.

To be part of the challenge, which ran through Friday, IU alumni chapters, student organizations, constituent societies and other groups  coordinated blood drives and reported the total blood donated to the IU Alumni Association. Donors at challenge sites received free IU Blood Donor Challenge T-shirts, while supplies lasted.

The overall challenge winner this year, with 210 units of blood, was the Student Alumni Association, which had a blood drive during Homecoming week co-sponsored by the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge.

The student organization winner was the IU Northwest Student Alumni Association, which had a blood drive co-sponsored by the IU Northwest Student Nurses Association.

The challenge began in 1997 as the IU vs. Purdue Blood Donor Challenge. In the first 12 years, IU and Purdue raised more than 49,000 units of blood. In 2009, the challenge became the IU Blood Donor Challenge in which IU alone raised more than 3,000 units.

Representatives from each winning group will be recognized during an on-field presentation at the IU vs. Iowa football game Nov. 6.

— Margaret Ely