The competition was heated but after a two-week battle between the U.P. Police Department and West Pierce Fire & Rescue, UPPD prevailed and took home the winning title in the University Place Battle of the Badges blood drive.
Donors were asked to cast a vote for either U.P. Police or West Pierce Fire & Rescue as part of their donation process. UPPD secured 24 votes, narrowly surpassing the 22 votes for West Pierce Fire & Rescue. In all, the Red Cross secured 47 units of blood from 46 donors (39 percent of whom were first time donors). These donations will impact more than 140 people in need of lifesaving blood transfusions.
Larry Bleich, Community Volunteer Leader for the American Red Cross – South Puget Sound and Olympics, praised all the participants. “Congratulations to all and thank you for your time commitment and enthusiasm in supporting our drive,” he said. He also extended a special thank you to Shanti Benoit-Boyce from NW Medical Arts who helped support the drive with her gift basket raffle and social media outreach.
Bleich said that although the UPPD may have won the battle, the real winner was the general population who will benefit from the much-needed blood donations.
Watch this brief video from “Good Morning America” and keep an eye out for one of U.P.’s own giving blood as part of the campaign.
