For a battle that hopes to claim 150 units of blood, the scene is ironically tranquil. The only visible aggression is the violent pumping of stress balls as the donors attempt to enlarge their veins for easy penetration.
LifeSouth Community Blood Center's 18-hour Battle of the Sexes Blood Drive began at 6 a.m. Wednesday at the LifeSouth Community Blood Center, Gainesville Health and Fitness Main Center and Gainesville Health and Fitness for Women.
By 3:45 p.m. LifeSouth had practically reached its goal of 150 donors with 76 women and 50 men. By 5:30 p.m., it had surpassed its goal at 160 donors with 93 women and 67 men.
Clay Gibbons, the District Community Development Coordinator for LifeSouth, said events like this are extremely important for recruiting first-time and returning donors, especially with the Fourth of July around the corner.
"We have to collect blood every single day," Gibbons said, "and close to the holidays, people aren't thinking about donating."
Gibbons said LifeSouth has to collect about 1,000 units of blood a week in order to keep the local hospitals stocked.
The winning sex, along with the winning raffle participants, will be announced today on LifeSouth's Facebook page.
