[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Canadian Blood Services.gif” caption=”Blood 101: Canadian Students Saving Lives, a nationwide blood donor competition, kicks off at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at the McMaster University Student Centre, CIBC Hall. Image courtesy of Canadian Blood Services.”]McMaster University is hosting the launch of Blood 101: Canadian Students Saving Lives, a nationwide blood donor competition, at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at the McMaster University Student Centre, CIBC Hall. Students from seven campuses in five Canadian cities will roll up their sleeves to collect 1,440 units of blood by Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Other universities taking part in the competition include the University of Calgary, Mount Royal College (Calgary), the University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg.

Young donors are some of the strongest supporters of the blood system during the school year. They account for 10 per cent of the Canadian Blood Services' national donor base, and during the last school year, 36,908 young donors generously donated 54,141 units of blood — enough to save 162,423 lives.

Still, many students cite fear of trying blood donation or lack of time as barriers to donation. By providing opportunities for students to donate together and towards a common goal, the hope is that students may overcome these obstacles and take the first step toward giving and becoming regular, committed donors.

As the current donor population ages, becoming blood users themselves, there is a growing need to inspire more young Canadians to get into the habit and donate blood to help meet future demands.

Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec and oversees the country's Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Canadian Blood Services operates 41 permanent collection sites and more than 19,000 donor clinics annually. The provincial and territorial Ministers of Health provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system. For more information, please visit our website.

The Youth Donors of Canada (YDC) strives to help satisfy the demands for adequate blood and plasma supplies by stimulating awareness and interest in youth. YDC was inaugurated at the University of Calgary in 2004 with the hope that with the continued support of the university community, they could build a solid foundation of youth donors, and continue to inform people about the importance of blood donation for years to come.

The McMaster chapter started in 2006. For more information, please visit the chapter's website.