DAYTON, Ohio – “The Game” date of Nov. 26 is circled on the calendar of every Buckeye football fan, and that is especially true for Hamilton blood donor Tonya Metcalf. She’s the winner of a pair of tickets to the Nov. 26 battle between Ohio State and Michigan in Columbus.
Everyone who registered to donate with Community Blood Center Aug. 29 through Oct. 1 was entered in “The Game” drawing to win the tickets. A total of 9,062 whole blood, platelet, and plasma donors, including 1,151 first-time donors, helped CBC navigate through low supply during the month of September.
Tonya entered the drawing when she donated Sept. 23 at the ThyssenKrupp Bilstein of America, Inc. employee blood drive.
“Awesome!” she said when she learned she was the winner. Tonya and her husband Hiram enjoy going to Cincinnati Bengals games and now plan to be in “the Shoe” to cheer for the Buckeyes on Nov. 26.
“Yea, we will definitely go to the game,” she said. “He’s more a fan than me, but I enjoy watching. He’s a real big Ohio State fan and Bengals. We’ve been talking about going.”
Tonya’s birthday is Oct. 5 so the drawing prize was both a surprise and an early gift. They will celebrate with a fall train ride in Indiana this weekend.
In November Tanya will mark seven years working at ThyssenKrupp Bilstein. She’s been a regular donor at the company blood drives since 2019. “I just like being able to donate to help people and help save lives,” said Tonya. “I’m a big believer in that.”