The first Battle of the Badges Blood Drive to try and address the critical shortage of blood will take place from 11 to five Friday (today) at the American Legion in Centralia.
One of the coordinators of the competition is Centralia Police Department School Resource Officer Tiana Barbee. She says Centralia and State Police as well as the Centralia Fire Department are in competition to get the most blood donated on their behalf.
“They just show up to the blood drive, walk in and sign up under whichever agency they are there to give blood on behalf of and then they go to their station, donate their blood and there is a meal provided afterwards.”
Barbee says everyone who gives blood will also be able to enter a drawing to win one of three $100 prizes provided through an anonymous gift to help attract more donors to help with the critical shortage.
Barbee says the Red Cross is also providing a prize to the winning department.
“Whichever department wins the Battle of the Badges, has the most participants sign up under their agency. Then the Red Cross is going to sponsor that agency getting something that they need. For Centralia Police Department we would like to get our officers all new tourniquets because that is something that we are in need of.”
The Battle of the Badges will be featured at the next three Centralia Community Blood Drives. Their initial goal of 40 units of blood has already been surpassed by those making appointments to give blood. But they’d like to go much higher to help with the critical shortage.
Barbee says the idea of the Battle of the Badges came from TJ Tebbe of State Police and she agreed to join him in chairing the project.
