Your donation to Middle Tennessee State University this month could change lives.

If you donate a single unit of blood from Monday, Oct. 29, through Wednesday, Oct. 31, during the annual “Bleed Blue, Beat WKU” drive, you will save lives. It’s that simple.

If you’re unable to donate blood, encourage your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to donate for you. In fact, encourage them to donate anyway. We still have plenty of appointment times open, especially on the drive’s first two days.

The annual blood-drive competition, now in its third year, pits the Blue Raiders against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers before the teams meet on the gridiron. The university has won the blood drive twice and has split the game wins with Western.

You can donate at the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center on Blue Raider Drive on the east side of campus.

Walk-ins also will be welcome, but donors with appointments will get in and out more quickly. Reserved parking also will be available at the Rec Center for blood donors each day.

We’ve turned this into a competition with our Western Kentucky rivals, but the real fight is to boost local blood supplies and save lives in our community.

You may recall McMinnville’s Andy Dunn, who helped us promote MTSU’s 2011 effort. The younger brother of MTSU sophomore Ray Dunn, Andy is now 9 years old and a cancer survivor thanks, in part, to donated blood products.

Andy and all our midstate neighbors have benefited, or may benefit, from your thoughtfulness, your effort, your time, your blood — your donation. Each unit of blood you give can help up to three people. That means if you help us meet this year’s combined MTSU-WKU goal of 1,200 units, we can help save 3,600 local lives.

You can learn more about the difference your donation makes by tuning in to WGNS Radio Monday, Oct. 15, beginning at 8 a.m. MTSU alumna Regina Raccuglia, communications manager for the American Red Cross’s Nashville office, also known as the Tennessee Valley Blood Services Region, will be one of the guests on “Action Line” program.

Raccuglia also is scheduled to discuss the drive on “MTSU On the Record,” which will air at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, on WMOT-FM.

The 2012 blood-drive winner will be announced at halftime of the MTSU-WKU game Thursday, Nov. 1, in Bowling Green, Ky., at WKU’s Smith Stadium.

Go to www.redcrossblood.org to make an appointment to donate.

I’ll be right beside you that Monday morning with my sleeves rolled up.