By Bitty Reilly/south news editor

   Participants could win a new car or a $1,000 gas card for donating blood on South Campus.
   Prizes for blood-donating winners include a 2006 Saturn VUE from Metroplex Saturn dealers and a $1000 gas card from Carter Blood Care.
   Those who donate by Friday, Feb. 11, are entered into a weekly drawing.
   The final drawing Feb. 18 will determine the winner of the Saturn VUE from the six finalists. The runner-up wins the $1,000 gas card.
   The Carter Blood Care mobile unit will be on South Campus in front of the Student Center Monday, Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Each donor also receives a free Carter Blood Care T-shirt and a free mini-physical.
   “ [The mini-physical] includes testing for red blood cell count, body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, total cholesterol, Hepatitis B and C, HIV type one and two, HTLV type one and two, syphilis, cytomegalovirus (selected donors only) and West Nile virus,” Gloria Irvin, South Campus health services senior office assistant, said.
   Gail Wilson, Carter Blood Care donor recruit consultant, said donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds.
   Additionally, to be eligible to win the car, entrants need a current driver’s license and auto insurance.
   According to the Carter Blood Care Web site www.carterbloodcare.org, approximately four million people need blood each year—one patient every 12 seconds.”
   The most needed types are O positive and O negative.
   “ Nearly 50 percent of patients are group O, and group O red cells can be transfused to all other blood types in emergencies,” the Web site reports.
   To find out more about the Saturn promotion, contact Wilson at 817-343-1186.
   For information about the blood drive, call Irvin at 817-515-4531.