British social media duo promote donating blood at MSU

Social media cntent creator duo Josh & Jase (Joshua Cauldwell-Clarke and Jason “Jase” Riley) are back in Michigan, encouraging their fanbase to give back by donating blood.

The two partnered with the Big Ten Conference and global healthcare organization Abbott for the third annual “We Give Blood” drive, a national competition to increase turnout to blood drives. 

The competition involves all Big Ten schools, and a $1 million grant for student or community health goes to the winner.

At the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on Michigan State University’s campus, the two posed for photos with blood donors.

According to Cauldwell-Clarke, the organizers of the competition reached out to the pair after they put a call out on social media. “We want to use our platform for good,” he said. “There’s a shortage at the moment of young people donating blood … that’s our mission, getting people [to donate].”

“There is no point in having lots of followers or a big platform if you’re not using it,” counterpart Riley said.

The duo’s presence pulled in a lot of interest from potential donors. “We have a completely full schedule,” Caitlin Gallagher said. “We’ve had 115 appointments and a lot more people walk in too.” Gallagher works with Versiti, the health organization overseeing the drive.

Keegan Wynn attends Michigan State University and is a student ambassador with Abbott. He has watched Josh & Jase a few times on social media but did not expect them to be on MSU’s campus. “So when this opportunity came up, and I saw they’d be partnering with ‘We Give Blood,’ it was kind of unexpected.”

Wynn planned on getting a picture with the pair later on in the afternoon. 

This is the duo’s second trip to Michigan, announced Oct. 25 via social media, and includes attending the MSU versus University of Michigan football game on Nov. 7. 

“This could be one of the best college experiences we’re ever gonna have,” Cauldwell-Clarke said. 

As for the rest of their time in East Lansing, they plan on exploring more of Michigan’s capital and MSU’s campus.