The annual NMU versus Michigan Tech Blood Drive will be held this Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center.

This blood drive will be in conjunction with the Wildcat Wellness Fair, which will also be held in the Great Lakes Rooms. The event will be organized by the Volunteer Center and the U.P. Regional Blood Center.

To donate, students can show up at the UC with a photo ID and fill out the necessary paperwork. Before students can donate, the Student Nurses Association will be taking vitals. Students will also have the opportunity to sign up for organ donation at the drive.

NMU has lost this competition for the past eight years in a row, said Nicole Weber, assistant coordinator of the Volunteer Center. But due to a rising trend in past NMU blood drives, Weber said spirits are still high.

The last blood drive was held on Oct. 31, 2007, and boasted a record for NMU with 171 students donating and 117 pints of blood collected.

Weber said students should prepare for donating by drinking lots of water and eating foods rich in iron at least three days prior to the drive.

Weber said she also has advice to those who fear needles.

“Don’t look at it; focus on something else,” she said. “Keep in mind that you are saving someone’s life.”

For more information, or to volunteer to help run the sign-up tables, students can call the Volunteer Center at 227-2466.