Breckenridge Texan

Rotary Club to host fifth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive on June 3-5

Rotary Club to host fifth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive on June 3-5
May 20
18:58 2021

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The residents of Stephens County and beyond will have a chance to help the first responders of their choice win the Breckenridge Rotary Club’s fifth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drives next month.

Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare speaks to the Breckenridge Rotary Club on Tuesday about the upcoming Battle of the Badges. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The blood drive is scheduled for June 3-5, and anyone who donates blood during that time will get to cast their vote for the Breckenridge Police Department, Breckenridge Fire Department or Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.

Last year, the Sheriff’s Office broke the Fire Department’s three-year streak by winning the friendly competition. The Fire Department won the 2019, 2018 and 2017 contests.

Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare attended Tuesday’s Rotary Club meeting and said that because so many blood drives were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the blood center is low on blood supplies. Although the need for blood was less during the restrictions, since so many surgeries were also canceled, now that people are beginning to return to a more normal routine, blood is in demand again.

During normal situations, they need about 1,000 blood donors a day to maintain enough blood to meet the demand, Horan said. But, during the pandemic, they had only about 600 donors a day, she said. So, now, they need about 1,200 donors a day to make up the deficit.

Due to the current blood shortages, doctors are having to make decisions about whether or not specific surgeries are necessary or if they can wait a while. They also have to make sure that they can get a specific type of blood before they can even consider performing a surgery, especially elective surgeries, Horan said.

“We’re making it work right now…but, like I said, we’re kind of hanging on by a thread and struggling,” she said. “We really, really, really appreciate you guys hosting these blood drives. The people in the country are just fantastic about the drives and coming out in general, where we struggle more in Dallas and Fort Worth (to get people to donate blood).”

Carter BloodCare will be in Breckenridge for the blood drive on the following schedule:

  • Thursday, June 3, noon to 5 p.m. at First National Bank’s Community Room, 101 E. Walker St.
  • Friday, June 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Carter BloodCare Bus at Stephens Memorial Hospital/Breckenridge Medical Center, 101 S. Hartford St.
  • Saturday, June 5, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at First National Bank’s Community Room, 101 E. Walker St.

To reserve a spot to donate blood during the Battle of the Badges, contact Rotary Blood Drive Volunteers Les or Sherry Strickland at 254-522-1959 or 254-522-2083 or visit the Carter BloodCare website at https://ww2.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/zip and fill in the Zip Code box with 76424 to go to the sign-up page for the Breckenridge blood drive.

Having received a COVID-19 vaccination does not affect your eligibility to donate blood, Horan said. Those who have had COVID-19 should be symptom-free for at least two weeks and feeling well on the day of the donation.

 

Cutline, top photo: The Breckenridge Police Department and the Breckenridge Fire Department showed up for some good-natured competition at the Breckenridge Rotary Club meeting Tuesday. The BPD, BFD and the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office will compete for votes in the upcoming Battle of the Badges Blood Drive. President Yuri Huntington, left, welcomed Coleen Horan with Carter BloodCare and local first responders, Breckenridge Police Officer Chandon Heugatter, Police Chief Bacel Cantrell and Breckenridge Fire Chief Calvin Chaney, to the organization’s meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan) 


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