There’s been plenty of sweat and tears shed over this election, so why not shed a little blood at MTSU Tuesday, Nov. 8, in honor of the people who protect America’s rights?

The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center at MTSU is sponsoring a special blood drive Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Cantrell Hall inside the Tom Jackson Building, located at 628 Alma Mater Drive on the west side of campus.

It’s a tribute to all veterans in honor of the annual U.S. observance of Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 11.

A campus map with parking notes is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

“We are aiming for a minimum of 35 donors to mark MTSU’s 35 years of the ‘Salute to Veterans and the Military’ game,” said Dr. Hilary Miller, director of the Daniels Veterans Center, referring to the university’s annual tribute to campus and community veterans and their families at a Blue Raider football game at Floyd Stadium.

MTSU donors came out in force last month for the annual “Bleed Blue, Beat WKU” challenge, falling short of winning the championship trophy for a fifth time in six years by only 10 successful donors.

Organizers of the veterans’ blood drive are encouraging donors who couldn’t participate in the October event to be sure to plan to donate a pint of blood at the Nov. 8 collection.

Click on the Red Cross button to find the new blood donation app.

Donors can use the Red Cross’s new technology by typing “veterans” into the “Find a Blood Drive” box at http://redcrossblood.org to make a Nov. 8 appointment or using the new “American Red Cross Blood” app, available at http://ow.ly/S39Ke.

Donors also can save more time Nov. 8 by completing the new “Rapid Pass” online health questionnaire at www.redcrossblood.org/rapidpass on a desktop or laptop computer before giving blood. They’ll need to show an emailed or printed copy of the same-day confirmation at the check-in desk.

MTSU’s Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center is the largest and most comprehensive such facility on any college campus in Tennessee. The 2,600-square-foot center, located in Room 124 of the Keathley University Center, provides a one-stop shop for a variety of academic needs for MTSU’s nearly 1,000 student veterans and their families.

You can learn more about how MTSU serves the veterans who’ve served our country in a special University Honors lecture from Miller, available below.

For more information about the Daniels Veterans Center, visit www.mtsu.edu/military and follow @MTVetCenter on Twitter.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)