The rising temperatures have given people plenty of reasons to go outside and enjoy the outdoors.

But, with more people leaving home, the American Red Cross is reporting fewer people donating blood which could be a cause for concern.

"The need for blood is definitely always there, but summer and winter are pretty difficult for us because that's where we see sometimes a drop-off in donor presentation at the blood drives, but then also an uptick in the need for blood because of the additional accidents," said Red Cross Account Manager Amanda Clark.

One way the Red Cross is trying to get people out is through fun events like the Battle of the Badges in Kirksville.

It is a fun competition between the Kirksville Fire Department and Kirksville Police Department to see who is able to get the most blood donations.

"This is actually the third year we've done a Battle of the Badges, it was just a way to try to make it fun, make it a friendly competition, just trying to give people a good laugh while they come out and give blood," said Kirksville Deputy Police Chief Justin Jones.

For the second year in a row, the blood drive was held in honor of former Kirksville Police Chief Steve Farnsworth, who was an avid blood donor.

Farnsworth left a legacy of selflessness in the community.

"Chief Farnsworth was a dedicated blood donor. You always saw him at the blood drives and he would always give you a hard time if he had to wait very long, all in good fun of course," Clark said.

"Steve was a very avid blood donor, every time he was eligible, he was giving blood, so we just want to kind of pay homage to his giving blood so frequently," Jones said.

Just like the heroes who came before us, we should try to continue to give back in any way we can because you never know when you might need it.