BFD wins eighth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive

August 22

12:04 2024

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By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The Breckenridge Fire Department reclaimed the championship title in the Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, hosted by the Rotary Club of Breckenridge and Carter BloodCare. The BFD was presented with a plaque at the Aug. 20 Rotary Club meeting.

Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare attended the meeting and reported the final results. “This little club does make a big impact through everything that you’re doing in your community. … Thank you so much for what you do,” Horan said. “The blood drive was back in June, and over the two days, we collected 48 pints of blood at a time when it was desperately needed, in the summertime when school’s out. Forty-eight pints equals 144 lives saved; each pint can save three lives. And I am happy to announce that the winner of the 2024 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is the Breckenridge Fire Department.”

Breckenridge Fire Chief Malcolm Bufkin and BFD secretary Christi Tidrow were on hand to accept the award for the fire department.

During the eighth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive, blood donors had a chance to cast a vote for the BFD, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office or the Breckenridge Police Department. This was the fifth year the BFD has won the award. The Sheriff’s Office took the top honor in 2023 and 2020, and the police department won in 2021.

The Rotary Club and Carter BloodCare will host their next quarterly blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, at Texas State Technical College, 307 N. Breckenridge Ave. Click here to pre-register to donate blood.

According to information from Carter BloodCare, blood donors can get in the fall football spirit with special giveaways in September.

First, each Carter BloodCare donor in September will receive a Tailgate Trio gift pack, which includes a Dallas Cowboys-themed “How ‘Bout Them Donors!” t-shirt, plus a Home Turf football-styled drink Koozie and sticker.

Second, all Carter BloodCare donors in September will be entered to win one of 10 Weber Q series tailgating grills.

Third, Carter BloodCare’s September donors will be automatically entered in weekly drawings to score four Dallas Cowboys tickets and a parking pass to 2024 home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. By giving blood in September, donors can qualify for tickets to see the Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals later this season.

For more details about the giveaways, visit the Carter BloodCare website at www.carterbloodcare.org.

For more information about the local blood drive, contact Les or Sherry Strickland at 254-522-1959.

Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare announced the Breckenridge Fire Department as the winner of the 2024 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive at the Aug. 20 Rotary Club meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Breckenridge Fire Chief Malcolm Bufkin, from left, and BFD secretary Christi Tidrow accepted the 2024 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive award for the fire department from Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare and JB Sparks, president of the Rotary Club of Breckenridge. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)