The national capital region will compete in a Blood Donor Challenge through Dec. 9 for a chance to win bragging rights and the 2011 trophy for most units of blood collected for the Armed Services Blood Program, the official blood program of the United States military.
Over the years, the Army-Navy game has come to embody the spirit of the longstanding rivalry between the two services, but this year the rivalry will have another element to it when the "tradition of challenge meets the challenge of life."
Blood collected by the tri-service program is quickly processed, tested and labeled before being shipped to ill or injured service members, veterans and their families worldwide.
The Blood Donor Challenge, a national capital region event, will support blood needs at field hospitals overseas and three local hospitals: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.; Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Va.; and the Malcolm Grow Clinic at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
Because it is not uncommon for donations to decrease over the holiday season, the Blood Donor Challenge is a great way to ensure that blood needs will continue to be met. The goal is to collect a total of 1,100 units of blood from the following locations:
- Fort Meade, Md., McGill Training Center: Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Fort Belvoir, Va., Barden Education Center: Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- U.S. Naval Academy, Mitscher Hall: Monday, Dec. 5, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., Sail Loft Building 105/112: Thurs., Dec. 8, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Gym: Friday, Dec. 9, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Main Concourse Room 2D1063: through Friday, Dec. 9., call 703-697-0153 for an appointment.
The challenge winner will be announced during this year's Army-Navy football game Dec. 10, at FedEx Field in Washington, D.C.
To learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.militaryblood. dod.mil. To interact directly with some of the staff or to get the latest news, visit www.facebook.com/militaryblood.
