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Red Cross and CIAA Partner for 61st Annual Basketball Tournament
Written by
Katie Lawson
, Staff Writer, Redcross.org
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 — The annual Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) basketball tournament is more than just a tournament, it’s a cultural event. Beginning on Feb. 27 and continuing throughout the week, the tournament draws an enormous crowd of fans, students and faithful alumni. This year, the American Red Cross is proud to partner with the CIAA for the sixth year and contribute to the lineup of events to be held in Charlotte, N.C.
In addition to the tournament, the festivities include fashion shows, step shows, a battle of the bands, an education forum and celebrity performances. The week-long schedule of events offers activities for everyone and attracts fans from all over the country. Last year, a record 110,000 fans gathered at the RBC Center in Raleigh and this year will mark the first time the tournament will be played at Bobcats Arena in Charlotte.
The CIAA was established in 1912 and is America’s oldest black athletic conference. Based in Hampton, Va. and consisting of 12 historically African-American colleges and universities in the southeastern United States, the CIAA is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. Divided into two divisions for all sports except baseball, the CIAA sponsors 16 men’s and women’s championships.
The Red Cross will partner again with the CIAA for this year’s 61st annual tournament. For the past five years, the Red Cross has played an important role during tournament week, holding blood drives and working to increase awareness of minority blood donations.
This year’s blood drive will take place in the Charlotte Convention Center on March 2. Over 100,000 square feet of space in the huge hall has been donated by the CIAA. Generous volunteers from Charlotte and Raleigh will be located throughout the host city to encourage potential donors to visit the center and give blood.
Blood donations that come from African-American donors are extremely crucial as the samples are twice as likely as those of European descent to have type O blood. Considered a universal donor, type O blood samples can be accepted by recipients with any blood type. In addition, recipients with sickle cell disease frequently require donors that are from the same racial or ethnic background in order to reduce the chance of a reaction. African-American blood donations may be the best hope for the needs of patients with sickle cell disease, 98 percent of whom are of African-American descent.
In addition to the blood drive, the Red Cross will also recruit potential volunteers and employees during the festivities' career day, which will be held on March 2, also in the Convention Center. During halftime of the championship game, there will be a trivia session informing the crowd of little known facts about the Red Cross as well.
Jack McGuire, President and CEO of the American Red Cross, recently visited the Hampton, Va. headquarters to meet with Leon Kerry, who is entering his 16th year as CIAA Commissioner. Kerry, the recipient of a life saving blood donation from the Red Cross, realized that a partnership would be beneficial to the CIAA and surrounding community.
During his visit, McGuire also expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the CIAA’s recent donation to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The generous donation of $10,000 will benefit the Red Cross hurricane relief fund.
Broadcast on ESPN Classics, the 61st annual CIAA basketball tournament begins Feb. 27 and concludes on March 4 with the men’s and women’s championship games.
The American Red Cross provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply (collecting more than 6 million units a year from volunteer donors) to patients in 3,000 hospitals across the country through its national network. Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The Red Cross must collect blood donations each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients and children with blood disorders, and the organization works to accomplish this through its 36 Blood Services regions. Please call today to make your appointment to give the gift of life. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule your donation or to sponsor a blood drive.
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