Battle of the Badges bragging rights belong to Sacred Cross EMS; quarterly blood drive taking place today, Sept. 4
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Sacred Cross EMS claimed its first win in the Breckenridge Rotary Club’s annual Battle of the Badges blood drive contest this summer, edging out local law enforcement and fire departments in the ambulance service’s first time to participate in the friendly competition. The blood drive was one of four that the Rotary Club hosts each year; the third blood drive of 2025 is going on today, Thursday, Sept. 4, until 4 p.m. at Texas State Technical College (more details on today’s blood drive below).
Colleen Horan and Clint McCoy with Carter BloodCare announce Sacred Cross EMS as the winner of the 2025 Battle of the Badges blood drive at the Breckenridge Rotary Club meeting last week. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
In June, the Breckenridge community showed up by the dozens to donate blood and cast their vote in the Rotary Club’s annual Battle of the Badges, a friendly competition that pits the Stephens County Sheriff’s office, Breckenridge Police Department, Breckenridge Fire Department and — for the first time this year — Sacred Cross EMS against each other, battling to gather votes from blood donors. The winners earn a plaque and bragging rights for the next year.
Each summer, the Rotary Club teams up with Carter BloodCare for a multi-day blood drive to boost summer donations. This year, the Breckenridge community donated 47 pints of blood, according to Colleen Horan, an area representative with Carter BloodCare.
“This Battle of the Badges that we just did was the ninth annual Battle of the Badges (in Breckenridge),” Horan said. “I think I’ve told you guys before, there’s a reason why we do these extra blood drives in summer, because we get super low on blood. It happened again this year … because of the high school blood drives not happening — they’re 25% of all the blood that we collect all year. So we think of fun, extra things to do.”
Helping Horan announce this year’s winner was Clint McCoy, the director of field recruitment for Carter BloodCare.
Horan said that the first blood drive hosted by the Breckenridge Rotary Club and Carter BloodCare was on Nov. 2, 1990. In the past 35 years, the local community has donated 6,748 pints of blood.
Today’s blood drive is going on at TSTC, 307 North Breckenridge Ave., Room 103. Donors will receive a donor-exclusive Dallas Cowboys T-shirt while supplies last.
A photo ID will be required to donate.
Walk-ins are welcome, or you can click here to register online. For more information about today’s blood drive, call Sherry or Les Strickland at 254-522-1959 or email lesstrickland23@gmail.com.
Although the winners of the Battle of the Badges — Sacred Cross EMS — couldn’t be at the award presentation, other local emergency responders gathered for the announcement at the Breckenridge Rotary Club meeting last week. Pictured, from left, are Breckenridge Assistant Fire Chief Wes Turner, Breckenridge Fire Chief Malcolm Bufkin, Stephens County Chief Deputy Justin Rose, Sheriff Kevin Roach, Colleen Horan with Carter BloodCare, Breckenridge Police Chief Blake Johnson, Clint McCoy with Carter BloodCare, Breckenridge Rotary Club President Cynthia Northrop and Deputy Tyler Miller. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Although they couldn’t be at the Rotary Club meeting last week, Sacred Cross EMS is proud to be named the winner of this year’s Battle of the Badges blood drive competition. EMT Kelsie Lee and Paramedic Hunter Johnson show off the plaque the emergency service received in the friendly contest between the emergency responders in Stephens County. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
