City Councilman Mark Eckard’s blood drive at the Civic Center on Wednesday continued a recent trend of council members encouraging the community to show support for law enforcement officers and first responders. The event, organized within the last week, was held in conjunction with LifeShare Blood Centers.
Eckard announced the plans for the drive on Tuesday during the council’s agenda meeting. In that meeting, councilwoman Luvertha August spoke about the relationship the Police Department has with residents. And she said that despite recent violence against police in Baton Rouge and Texas, the relationship would remain unchanged.
Eckard said his goal for the event was to provide an outlet for people to show their appreciation in a tangible way. LifeShare officials said the drive collected donations from more than three dozen people — including Eckard, who spent a large part of the day at the event.
He said the need for donations stemmed from the shooting deaths of three officers in Baton Rouge on July 17.
In the days before the shooting, officers from Calcasieu Parish traveled to Baton Rouge to help monitor demonstrations occurring in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling on July 5. Many returned only days before the July 17 shooting.
“It just hits home, and it shows you how fragile it all can be,” Eckard said.
Libbie Williams, LifeShare donor recruiter, said the donation events enable the center to “be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to responding to a tragedy.”
LifeShare donates blood products to more than 100 medical facilities across the state, including some in Calcasieu Parish. Williams said the regional center uses about 1,400 pints of blood every 30 days.
Officials encourage people to donate routinely because it takes at least 24 hours before donated blood is available for use.
“You can never plan for a tragedy. You just respond to it,” Williams said. “It’s up to the community to ensure we have a reliable supply.”
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