SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (WHNT) — LifeSouth Community Blood Centers partnered with Scottsboro Police in hosting a blood drive for Retired Chief Ralph Dawe and Lieutenant Derek Porch.
“A lot of times, we take our police departments for granted,” LifeSouth District Recruitment Manager Josh Rebel said. “This is our opportunity to give back and say, ‘We appreciate what you do for saving lives in our community, so we’re going to do the same.”
The two organizations wanted to save 65 lives with the donated blood on Saturday in honor of Dawe’s retired badge number, 650.
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers provide 100% of the blood used at hospitals across North Alabama, including Scottsboro’s Highlands Medical Center.
Saturday’s blood drive had an extra layer of community beyond saving lives. It remembered Scottsboro Retired Chief Ralph Dawe, who passed away in August, and Lieutenant Derek Porch, who was shot while on duty in July.
“You don’t always get to hear the good things that the community, or the nation in general, have to say about law enforcement,” Scottsboro Lieutenant Coty Durham said. “But when things do happen, and push comes to shove, the community was very much behind us.”
The community showed up with their support Saturday, surpassing the goal and saving 75 lives with blood donations.
Durham said the drive reminded him of Dawe’s impact on the department over the 20 years he served Scottsboro citizens, specifically his impact on the department’s technological advances. Durham said Dawe is responsible for what the Scottsboro Police Department is today.
“The computers, the vehicles, everything that we have today, Chief Dawe put forth and set in motion,” Durham said.
While Durham sat in the chair donating blood, he also honored Lieutenant Porch, who is still undergoing medical procedures since being shot. He says Porch is taking his recovery day by day, and does not have a timeline of when he will be back on duty.
“To my knowledge, he is hoping to come back to the department,” Durham said. “I know he has some procedures coming up, but I think he is hopeful that he can come back and serve the citizens of Scottsboro again.”
On behalf of the department, Durham said while ‘thank you’ seems hardly enough, they are so grateful for the community’s support.
“Anybody and everybody that has helped us out these last couple of months, we greatly appreciate it and we won’t forget it,” Durham said. “I know Lieutenant Porch’s family won’t forget it, and neither will Retired Chief Ralph Dawe’s family.”
Josh Rebel encourages community members to continue donating blood, saying it saves lives across the Tennessee Valley every day.
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