Tenth annual summer blood drive deemed a success by all three participating first-responder agencies
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
For the 10th year in a row, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) has bested the City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) and the Columbia-Richland Fire Department in the competitively friendly BATTLE OF THE BADGES BLOOD DRIVE held, Friday, June 27.
Facilitated by the American Red Cross of South Carolina; RCSD deputies, civilian employees, and friends and supporters of the Sheriff’s department donated blood at RCSD’s Region Two headquarters facility on Decker Blvd as did those donating blood but instead casting a vote for CPD or the Columbia-Richland Fire Department. The American Red Cross’ Bull Street location was also set-up to receive donations throughout the day.
“This is a fun, good-natured competition between all three agencies that we’ve all been involved in now for a decade, and we’ll continue to participate in blood drives like this because the need is so great,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. “Giving blood is easy, quick, painless, and utterly necessary.”
Lott adds: “Giving blood is not simply a way to serve our communities: It quite literally save lives.”
Sergeant Bryce Hughes, RCSD’s relatively new director of public information and a fan favorite of the TV docuseries ON PATROL: LIVE, says she is proud of her department’s continued commitment to Battle of the Badges. “This is a testament to how much our deputies enthusiastically love giving back to our communities,” she says. “This is something they do beyond just enforcing the law, as demonstrated by the number of lives they help save through blood donations.”
Hughes adds: “I’m also incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from those outside of the department but within our communities who, every year, choose to donate and cast their votes for RCSD.”
Support indeed: Of the 83 total units of blood collected by the Red Cross, 51 units were either donated by RCSD deputies and employees or supporters donating blood and casting their vote for RCSD. Units of blood donated by CPD officers and Columbia-Richland firefighters combined were 32.
“Success by any measure,” said Deputy Chief Maria Yturria. “It took all three departments to achieve this level of success, and I think it’s always important to donate blood. We might take it for granted that there is always a sizeable emergency reserve of blood available for necessary transfusions, but that’s not always the case. And you never know when you, a family member, or anyone else in our communities might need blood.”
Donors participating in Battle of the Badges each received Amazon gift cards.
For more information about the American Red Cross of South Carolina, please visit – https://www.redcross.org/local/south-carolina.html
– Pictured (L-R) Deputy Chief Maria Yturria, Sheriff Leon Lott, and Sergeant Laquan Sumpter donate blood during the day-long Battle of the Badges, Friday, June 27.
