The goal of the challenge is to get younger people interested in blood donation and spread awareness to colleges across the country about the overwhelming need for donated blood.

The MSU blood drive on Wednesday exceeded its goal of 105 registrants, with 155 students, faculty members and community members signed up, according to Dana Dunning the account representative for Versiti, a nonprofit blood health organization collecting donations. 

Madalyn Kennedy, an MSU student ambassador for the We Give Blood campaign, said the initiative makes an impact while requiring minimal time commitment for donors.

“It really only takes an hour to contribute,” Kennedy said. “Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. requires blood. So by doing this just for an hour, this really is making an impact on someone's life.”

Finance senior Jason Haubert, who donated blood on Wednesday, said the process was easy. 

“The person that helped me was very nice,” Haubert said. “It felt pretty good before and after, so I’m happy with that, but I’m glad I could help, and hopefully Michigan State gets the million dollar grant.” 

Taking an hour of your day to help the community by donating blood “is a really motivating and fulfilling thing,” said Keegan Wynn, a student ambassador for the We Give Blood campaign. 

Wednesday’s turnout was “great,” Wynn said, with many excited to donate blood for the campaign. 

Dunning encourages prospective donors to prepare ahead of time. She said it’s critical to eat a meal containing iron rich foods the day before and to stay hydrated.

“MSU is a very competitive school, so let's channel that competitive side and let's win this competition,” Kennedy said. 

To participate in the competition, students can text “GIVE BLOOD” to 222688. 

The next blood drive is on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Akers Hall. Upcoming Michigan State blood drives can be found on Versiti's website.