What better way to start summer than with a free pint of ice cream? That is but one reward that people will get when they donate blood June 27 or 28 at Freeborn Hall.

The Associated Students-sponsored blood draw is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

The bigger reward, of course, is knowing that your donation is especially needed in summertime. During summer, blood draw organizers said, increased travel and activities bring more accidents that may require blood transfusions.

The UC Davis blood draw falls just before the Fourth of July holiday period, which will be extra long for some people this year — running from Saturday,

July 1, through the Tuesday holiday. The four-day span brings the likelihood of even more accidents, said Angela Tarricone of BloodSource, the regional blood bank that will be collecting blood at UC Davis.

The university, Tarricone said, "has helped BloodSource through many holiday weekends, and we have been able to help thousands of patients in need, thanks to the staff and students of UC Davis."