Get ready to roll up your sleeves and ramp up a long-standing rivalry for the annual “Bleed Blue to Beat WKU” blood drive between Middle Tennessee State University and Western Kentucky University, set for Oct. 27-29 — with a special push on helping patients with sickle cell disease.
The three-day blood drive will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 27-29, at MTSU’s Campus Recreation Center, 1848 Blue Raider Drive. Whichever university garners the most donations wins the coveted challenge trophy to display. But in the end, everyone is a winner in this competition.
“Because this is a competition between MTSU and WKU, we have the ability to collect roughly 800 to 900 units of blood, which can save several thousand lives,” said Gene Baker, senior account manager of Donor Services for the American Red Cross of Tennessee. “This is a very important blood drive because we can cover a lot of hospital commitments in one large event.”
Off-campus donors can park for free in visitor parking spots at MT One Stop, 1860 Blue Raider Drive, next to Campus Rec. A searchable campus parking map is available at https://bit.ly/ParkingMapMTSU2025.
Sign up urged, walk-ins welcome, volunteers needed
While walk-ins are welcome, donors are encouraged to sign up for the event online. Another way to sign up is by downloading the Blood Donor App and using the sponsor code MTSU. There are also specific height and weight requirements that vary between male and female donors. Visit tinyurl.com/2025DonateBlood to learn more.
Incentives for donating include a commemorative T-shirt, a $10 eGift Card to a merchant of choice, and a chance to win one of three $500 gift cards, plus free pizza and MTSU football tickets. In addition to donors, volunteers are needed to work the blood drive. Visit bit.ly/2025BloodBattlevolunteers to sign up to help.
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