Penn State: 823. Michigan State: 987. Seven days remain. For those who managed to pass math class in elementary school, you’ll be able to see that we’re losing the annual PSU-MSU Blood Donor Challenge. Let’s fix that.

Everyone can donate! Well, not really, but everyone should. To be eligible, you must weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 17 years old, and be healthy. I appreciate the dedication of the sickly, but I’ve already had a cold once this semester, and I don’t want another one. Force your friends to donate in your place.

The best way to donate is to make an appointment here. For the truly forgetful, an automated message is sent to your inbox to remind you when you scheduled. If you forget to make an appointment or are just too cool to do so, walk-ins are accepted, but you’ll be forced to wait.

“The last week of the challenge is a crazy time. There’s a lot of donors, which is great,” said Rino Sato, Penn State Student Red Cross Club president.

For every person that gives up one hour of their time to donate, three lives are saved. If you’re too selfish to care about other people, think about the free stuff you get! You get a super suave t-shirt and delicious pizza and snacks. Believe me, that will be on my mind when I donate Friday. Free stuff rocks! You can also win prizes. The prizes this year include a $200 shopping spree, two $100 shopping sprees, a flat screen television, Big Boulder/Jack Frost lift tickets, and a Fullington bus trip to New York City, with a gift certificate to Broadwayshows.com.

When and where to donate:

Thursday 11/11 — 1 to 7 p.m. — Brill Hall
Thursday 11/11 — 1 to 7 p.m. — Redifer Commons, Ground Floor
Friday 11/12 — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — HUB Alumni Hall *
Sunday 11/14 — 12 to 5 p.m. — Pollock Rec. Room*
Monday 11/15 — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — HUB Alumni Hall*
Tuesday 11/16 — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. — HUB Alumni Hall*
Wednesday 11/17 — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. — HUB Alumni Hall*
Thursday 11/18 — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. — HUB Alumni Hall*

* Double Red Cell donation locations

About the Author

Alyssa Murphy

My name is Alyssa, or Aly. I'm a senior at Penn State, print journalism major. I'm from a little city of Pottsville. If you've heard of it, it's probably only because of Yuengling beer.