Breckenridge Police Department wins 2021 Battle of the Badges
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
For the first time in the five-year history of the Breckenridge Rotary Club’s Battle of the Badges blood drive, the Breckenridge Police Department won the friendly competition between the local first responders.
Les Strickland, who, along with his wife, Sherry Strickland, organizes the blood drives for the Breckenridge Rotary Club, introduced Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare at the Aug. 10 meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge Police Chief Bacel Cantrell attended the Rotary Club meeting today, Aug. 10, and accepted the award for the department.
During the fifth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, hosted by the Rotary Club and Carter BloodCare, blood donors had a chance to cast a vote for the BPD, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office or the Breckenridge Fire Department. For the first three years of the competition, the fire department won. Last year, the Sheriff’s Office garnered the most votes.
This year, the blood drive, which took place over a three-day period in early June, generated 50 units of blood, said Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare.
“Each unit can save up to three lives, so that’s 150 lives touched in our community,” Horan said. “We work with the hospital here in town and the hospitals of Fort Worth and Dallas and the whole area. So really, thank you so much for saving lives here in your community, especially our first responders, and in the larger area.”
Horan said that she looked up the history of the Breckenridge blood drives at the request of Rotary member Les Strickland, who along with his wife Sherry Strickland, organizes the local blood drives. The earliest Rotary-sponsored blood drive she could find on record was on Nov. 2, 1990, and in the 31 years, the Breckenridge community has donated 6,490 units of blood.
The next blood drive will be Thursday, Sept. 2.
Also at the meeting, recently installed Rotary President Karen Martin introduced Will Paul, who will be leaving the Breckenridge Independent School District, where he has been the high school principal for the past three years. He has accepted a job as the superintendent of the Windthorst ISD. “We’re going to miss you,” Martin said. “You have been quite a contribution to us.”
Paul addressed the club members and guests, expressing his gratitude for the support he and his family have received. “It’s bittersweet. And I’m happy that I’m going to give this opportunity, but say that I’m leaving the great people and a great community. And the Rotary is part of that,” he said.
Rotary Club member Will Paul talked to club members about his upcoming move to Windthorst to be the superintendent of the school district there. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare was at the Breckenridge Rotary Club to present Police Chief Bacel Cantrell with a plaque for the Breckenridge Police Department, which won the 2021 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive. Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach, left, represented the Sheriff’s Office. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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