The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Royal Bahamas Police Force was the group category winner of the first Blood Donors Society of Grand Bahama’s Drip Drip Challenge in Freeport to raise awareness of the importance of voluntary blood donation.

Lededra Marche, president of the Blood Donor’s Society of Grand Bahama, presented the floating trophy on Wednesday to Superintendent Walter Henderson, commandant of the Police Training College, and those officers that participated in the challenge. ACP Samuel Butler was also on hand at the trophy presentation at Police Training College.

“We want to say thank you to everybody who participated in the 2019 World Blood Donor’s Day Drip Drip Challenge which was hosted by our organisation,” Ms Marche said.

The Drip Drip Challenge was held on Saturday, June 15, at Rand Memorial Hospital Laboratory.

Ms Marche said organisers were very happy with the response they received during the challenge. There were two categories under the challenge: the individual category where persons brought people as donors, and the group category which was open to churches, the business community and other organisations.

She thanked the RBPF for supporting the event.

“They helped us to put on a great event and we thank them because if wasn’t for the police force we would not have gotten to this point,” she added.

Although the challenge is over, Ms Marche is still inviting the public to donate blood by visiting the hospital’s laboratory.

“The count is still increasing and you still can come out and give blood. It is something that is ongoing and we want people to visit the lab at the Rand as a voluntary blood donor so we can build our Blood Donor’s Registry,” she said.

The registry was launched during the end of 2017.

“It is going well and it has been growing, but not as we would like for it. Hence, the reason for us putting on the Drip Drip Challenge,” explained Ms Marche.

Supt Henderson said that officers were pleased to be able to support such an important event. He said 21 officers donated blood. “It was a indeed a pleasure to get involved with the challenge, and being able to come away with the win in the group category, but more importantly we wanted to display that the RBPF is more than just interested in fighting crime, we are also interested in sustaining life,” he said.

Ms Marche said the winner of the individual category was Claudia Glinton.

In commemoration of Father’s Day, she said prizes were given to Quintono Joseph, the first father to donate blood, and Adolphous Sturrup Sr, the last father to donate. Both received a free buffet brunch, compliments of Grand Lucayan resort.