Breckenridge Battle of the Badges: First responders kick off 6th annual community blood drive competition

Pictured above, from left: Breckenridge Police Chief Bacel Cantrell; Carter BloodCare's Colleen Horan; Chief Deputy Justin Rose; Carter BloodCare's Ruben Tafoya; Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach; and Breckenridge FD firefighters Jose Garcia, Wesley Turner and Ben Rotman

First responders in Stephens County are geared up for some friendly Lone Star competition to serve an urgent community need.

On May 10, Carter BloodCare and the Breckenridge Rotary Club announced the 6th Annual Breckenridge Battle of the Badges blood drive.

The 2022 blood drive is set for June 2-4. Each person who donates blood during that time will get to cast a vote for the Breckenridge Police Department, Breckenridge Fire Department or Stephens County Sheriff’s Office. The winner claims the annual Battle of the Badges trophy and bragging rights.

The Breckenridge Fire Department won the community competition for the first three years. The Sheriff's Office took the title in 2020 and the Breckenridge Police Department was the winner in 2021.

Last year's blood drive, hosted by the Breckenridge Rotary Club, collected 50 units of lifesaving blood. Carter BloodCare Field Recruitment Consultant Colleen Horan noted in an interview that the Breckenridge Rotary Club has sponsored blood drives for more than 30 years, collecting nearly 6,500 units to help patients in need of transfusions.

Each pint of whole donated blood can help save three local lives when it is separated into three much-needed components: red cells, plasma and platelets.

As thanks for donating, each person who presents to give at the Breckenridge Battle of the Badges blood drive will receive Carter BloodCare's brand-new summer Donate – Give for Texans T-shirt (available in sizes M – 3XL, while supplies last). ?

Times, dates and locations for the 2022 Breckenridge Battle of the Badges blood drive are:

• Noon - 4:45 p.m. Thursday, June 2: First National Bank Breckenridge Community Room, 101 East Walker -- Sign up
• 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday, June 3: Stephens Memorial Hospital, 101 S. Hartford Street on the Carter BloodCare bus -- Sign up
• 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 4: First National Bank Breckenridge Community Room, 101 East Walker -- Sign up

Donating blood on a regular basis is an important and?healthy way to give back to the community. It's particularly important at this time of year, as Carter BloodCare typically sees a seasonal slowdown in donations as high schools go on summer break and donors focus on family getaways.

However, the need for blood never takes a break; local patients require blood, plasma and platelets at all hours of every day.

Blood donated through the Breckenridge Battle of the Badges -- and at Carter BloodCare donor centers and mobile blood drives -- is used to help accident and severe trauma patients, older adults with age-related health issues, mothers experiencing difficult childbirths, transplant and surgical patients, people being treated for cancer, children living with anemia, and many others.