Breckenridge Fire Department reclaims Battle of the Badges Blood Drive championship title
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
The Breckenridge Fire Department has returned to the winners circle in the annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive hosted by the Rotary Club of Breckenridge and Carter BloodCare.
In the three-day blood drive, which took place in June, blood donors had a chance to vote for the BFD, the Breckenridge Police Department or the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office. It was a tight race this year, but the fire department edged out the others, Rotary member Sherry Strickland said.
This was the sixth year for the blood drive with a friendly competition. The first three years, the BFD took home the plaque. Then, in 2020, the Sheriff’s Office won, and last year, the Police Department came in first place.
The Rotary Club and Carter BloodCare host the blood drive every summer because when schools are out for the summer break, blood donations decrease, said Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare. During the school year, many high schools host blood drives, and those blood drives provide them with the greatest amount of blood.
This year, the Battle of the Badges generated 46 pints of blood.
The Rotary Club and Carter BloodCare are hosting Breckenridge’s quarterly blood drive today, Thursday, Sept. 1, through 5 p.m. at First National Bank’s Community Room. There are still several donation slots available. Click here to check the schedule and sign up. You can also show up and see if they can fit you in. Shortly before noon, there were several slots open between 3 and 3:30 and between 4 and 4:20 p.m.
Cutline, top photo: Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare, center, presents the Battle of the Badges Blood Drive winner plaque to the Breckenridge Fire Department, including, from left, Wesley Turner, Malcolm Bufkin, Christi Tidrow, Ben Rotman, Horan, Bret Chaney and Cody Riddle. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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