Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University and the Red Cross will host the fourth annual Battle of the Ravine Blood Drive on Wednesday, Oct. 31, and Thursday, Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Tiger Den.

The blood drive is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. “To give blood, you must be 17 or older, bring a picture ID and eat before you come,” said Randy Stribling, senior donor recruiter for the Red Cross.

“There is never an opportunity for the blood to go into the freezer,” Stribling said. “The blood has a shelf life of 42 days in a cooler. The problem is, we seldom have more than a few days’ supply of blood due to the declining number of donors throughout the region. We depend on great drives like this one to really help us out.”

Not only will the blood go to those who need it, but it “gives OBU the opportunity to win the competition for the third time,” Stribling added. “We want the public to come support the school of their choice.” Like the previous three years, Ouachita will be in competition with Henderson State University leading up to the schools’ annual rivalry match-up on the football field. The school that donates the most blood will win a trophy.

As an additional incentive for people to give, each participating “donor will receive a custom-designed Battle of the Ravine Blood Drive t-shirt,” Stribling added.

For more information, contact Randy Stribling at [email protected].

By Ryleigh Salmon