This past week I was fortunate enough to attend the Spring term blood drive at Oregon State University, the largest drive in the Pacific Northwest. With over 1,000 individuals presenting to donate, 927 pints of blood were collected. I have blogged about this drive plenty of times before, however this time OSU Athletes stepped up to the challenge to donate.

As part of the Everyday Champions program, OSU Athletics took upon a challenge to show support for their colleagues in Alabama who have faced numerous natural disaster over the past month. OSU has many connections to Alabama, including football coach Mike Riley who started his career as a cornerback for the University of Alabama in the early 70s. An easy way for the athletes to show support was to donate blood with the American Red Cross.

As the Nation’s largest blood bank, the American Red Cross’ National Inventory Management System is an essential piece for disaster relief. When disasters strike, the Red Cross can send blood from one region to another to facilitate increased demand or loss due to inability to collect blood. This means your donation has the potential to help save lives in catastrophes like those in Alabama, and being prepared for a quick response is why the Red Cross greatly appreciates regular donors who help keep the inventory system stocked all year.