Vitalant

The Butte Brewing Company at 265 E. Galena will be the site of another crucial blood drive through our friends at Vitalant in conjunction with our incredible first responders here in Southwest Montana. The "Battle of the Badges" blood drive is coming up and we need your help to fill up the available donation spots.

Make your appointment now for the Police vs. Firefighters Blood Drive at the Maroon Activities Center, 550 E. Mercury, on Thursday, November 14th from 11am until 4pm. This is another event being put on with the help of Shawn Muffich of Vitalant who would be happy to make your appointment by email at smufiich@vitalant.org. Fastrack your appointment for an even quicker trip and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Pitting local firefighters against local police officers for a charitable cause, while noble, is really nothing new. Especially here in the Mining City where this type of thing has been happening for decades, albeit in different forms and with varying results. Remember the old "Pig Bowl" from the early 2000s? Someone had the great idea of putting the police against the firefighters, with a handful of CCCS staffers thrown in for good measure, in a full-contact tackle football game. The results were, well, exactly what you'd expect from a group of some of the most competitive people on the planet. It got physical is an understatement. Hell, less violent games were probably being played simultaneously in the yard at MSP in Deer Lodge by people they arrested. Well, another police vs. firefighters event is coming up and this time they are literally out for blood.

Our friends at Vitalant have done the math and they tell us that every 2 seconds, someone in America will need blood. It could be a little girl with leukemia. It could be the victim of an accident. It could be a lot of things. Vitalant supplies blood to around 900 hospitals in two dozen states. Two dozen hospitals who rely on Vitalant for their day-to-day and also their unimaginable blood needs. But one blood donation can save up to three lives. And Vitalant has a couple of blood drives here in town where you can potentially make that life-saving donation.

Headquartered in Butte, Water & Environmental Technologies (WET) is conducting its Annual Blood Drive and Food Drive on March 3rd! The event will be hosted by The Butte Brewing Company to help add awareness to the importance of Vitalant's Blood Donation Services and the Butte Pantry's food donation program. When you reserve your donation time for the Blood Drive and Food Drive you'll receive free swag, door prizes (10 tickets), and refreshments, so contact Water & Environmental Technologies now to set up a time at (406) 782-5220.

Your blood donation could save a life this Holiday Season.

Vitalant of Butte is once again coming together for a community Blood Drive on December 14th! As outlined on their Vitalant website, it is estimated that patients receive a platelet or blood transfusion every two seconds of every day. Hence, blood drives save lives, making donating more critical than ever. If you are worried about the needle used to draw blood, don't be. Many donors compare the experience to a quick, minor pinch. The process is safe, plus you'll feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that you are potentially helping families across the United States who require transfusions. The awareness and significance of donating blood was always made apparent in our household growing up. My father was adamant about its importance and during his lifetime donated over 20 gallons of blood.