Dec. 11, 2013

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CHICAGO - The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) joined the nation-wide movement, Giving Tuesday, as part of its annual holiday service project. Through the initiative, student-athletes collected goods for Operation Care Package and coordinated a blood drive in conjunction with Life Source.

Giving Tuesday is a campaign to create a national day of giving to commence the annual holiday season. The initiative was observed Tuesday, Dec. 3, where it celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations. The movement was most successfully publicized through its Twitter hashtag, #GivingTuesday.

Through this movement, the SAAC committee collected goods for Operation Care Package, a nonprofit that collects goods, assembles them into care-package form and sends the packages to soldiers abroad. Each of UIC's nearly 300 student-athletes contributed to the effort through donating one item. Though, many student-athletes and teams donated many more.

The Athletic Department also held a blood drive on Wednesday, Dec. 4. On the day of the drive, there were 121 donors who committed to giving blood, but due to deferments for various reasons such as international travel and other precautions, the department collected 96 donations. This number will help approximately 288 people who are in need of blood.