Successful battle

On behalf of the American Red Cross, I would like to thank all who donated and supported the 2012 Battle of the Badges. It was another successful campaign, as we collected 283 pints of blood.

The holidays are a difficult time of year to collect blood, and this fun competition gives law enforcement, firefighters and EMS in Ellis County an added reason to donate a pint of blood and help recruit donors.

This year, the winner of the battle was the Hays Fire Department with 90 votes. EMS took second place honors with 74 votes; the law enforcement came in third with 66. We even had a vote for the K-9 unit. Melissa Holub was the lucky winner of the Traeger grill, donated by Crawford Supply.

A special thank you goes out to all the businesses that participated in the battle and hosted drives: Department of Children and Family Services, Bank of Hays, Victoria Knights of Columbus, First National Bank, Enersys, Golden Plains Credit Union, Sunflower Bank, Ellis County Courthouse and the Younger Family Blood Drive.

As we head into a new year, we encourage people throughout Kansas to consider becoming blood donors. Every day in Kansas, we must collect 500 pints of blood to keep up with our hospital needs. Learn more about becoming a donor or make an appointment by calling (800) RED CROSS. If your business would like to hold a blood drive, please contact me at (316) 641-1193.

Thanks again for supporting the 2012 Battle of the Badges.

Cathy Younger, donor recruitment representative, American Red Cross