Mississippi College Competes with Delta State in Heritage Bowl Blood Drive

Mississippi College junior Zach Klopman, 20, of Jensen Beach, Florida donates blood on the Clinton campus.

Mississippi Blood Services buses will park on the Clinton campus October 31 and November 1.

That’s when Mississippi College students compete with counterparts at Delta State University in the 2018 Heritage Bowl Blood Drive.

The winning school will get bragging rights. But really, the true winners are patients needing blood donations at dozens of hospitals spanning the Magnolia State.

MBS donor coaches will be parked from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days on the Clinton campus.

The sponsor of the event at Mississippi College will be Phi Theta Kappa. The two schools are NCAA Division II sports rivals in the Gulf South Conference. Cleveland and Clinton are located two hours apart.

Giving at the Heritage Bowl drive a year ago, Mississippi College pre-med student Katelyn Brock, 19, of Vicksburg said she was seeking to make a difference by giving the gift of life. “I knew we are in short supply,” she said. “I want to help people.”

Founded in 1979, Mississippi Blood Services is an FDA licensed blood center. The organization is based in Flowood.

Donors at the Fall blood drive won’t leave empty-handed. All donors at MC and Delta State will receive free MBS T-shirts.

The winner of the blood drive will be announced at the MC Choctaws football game with Delta State on November 10. Kickoff on the Cleveland campus is 2 p.m. that Saturday.

Student representatives from one of the Mississippi schools will receive an MBS trophy.

Other schools around the Magnolia State compete in similar blood drives. Students at Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi compete in the annual Transylvania Bowl to benefit MBS.