Congrats! Battle of the Badges Blood Drive Brings in Nearly 100 Donors In Killeen, Texas

Congratulations are in order in Killeen Texas. August 16, I wrote an article letting Central Texas know to get ready for the battle of the badges.

CONGRATS TO YOU KILLEEN, TEXAS!

Killeen, Texas was a battleground Thursday, as two public service departments squared off for a great cause.

The battle of the badges is an annual blood drive where the Killeen Police Department and the Killeen Fire Department compete to see who can drive the donations and votes. Chief Chuck and Chief Jim teamed up to encourage the community to come out and save lives. The event took place at the Rosa Hefford Community Center Thursday, and we're told the turnout was fantastic.

I can’t stress how proud I am of Central Texas for coming out and bringing nearly 100 donors to the event. This demonstrates exactly why I love being a part of this community.

Janell Ford with the City of Killeen tells us 98 donors gave this year, which resulted in enough donations to save around 276 lives. Carter BloodCare intends to use that blood to treat patients right here in Bell County.

WHO WON THE BATTLE OF THE BADGES?

Even though saving lives is absolutely amazing in and of itself, we all want to know who won the battle this year.

Well, it turns out the police department had 42 votes and the fire department received 48 votes. Teams this is the second year in a row that Killeen PD will have to wash the company vehicles of the fire department. Dang!

Get this, though: Killeen PD won the first two years, and Killeen Fire has won the past two. That means next year's Battle of the Badges will be a tie breaker. We'll let you know when it's coming up.

No matter which department wins, the turnout for this blood drive is a victory for all of us, especially patients in need of live-saving blood right here in Central Texas.

Thanks to all the donors, and we'll see you next year.