Notre Dame students will have an opportunity to provide a lifesaving resource while also besting a rival during next week's Notre Dame versus USC blood drive competition.
James Mancino, blood drive coordinator for the Notre Dame Red Cross Club, said the club is partnering with the St. Joseph County Chapter of the American Red Cross to organize a series of three blood drives.
The drives will take place on Monday from noon to 5 p.m. in LaFortune, Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in a Red Cross bus outside the Joyce Center and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Pasquerilla Center.
"It's always good to compete against USC in any way, shape or form, and this has the added bonus of being life-saving," Mancino said.
Mancino said USC would have five drives throughout the week, so the winner will be judged by average units of blood per drive.
Mancino said there is no physical reward for the winning school, though they hope to eventually have a trophy.
"We tried to get a trophy to go back and forth, but we don't have one yet," he said. "For now it's about bragging rights - and a good cause and healthy conscience."
This is the first time the Red Cross Club has hosted such an event, but they hope to make it a tradition, he said.
"We usually have one drive per semester, so this was a way to establish something a little more permanent," he said. "We're working to start a new tradition and establish our club a little more."
Mancino said USC has held a similar annual competition with UCLA for several years, but this year UCLA was unable to participate. This prompted the president of USC's Red Cross club to call the president of Notre Dame's club over the summer and begin planning this year's competition, he said.
Mancino said the club hopes to repeat the competition next year and beyond. In the future, he said the club hopes to be able to offer free T-shirts and to expand the event to match USC's five blood drives in order to compete on the basis of total units of blood collected.
To register, go to http://www.redcross.org/. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Contact Christian Myers at cmyers8@nd.edu
