Stephen King joins blood drive

The Suncoast Communities Blood Bank kicked off its sixth annual Boots vs. Badges blood drive competition with an open house Tuesday, July 12, at the Sarasota donor center. The goal is to raise 500 units of blood between law enforcement and firefighters in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

In conjunction with the campaign, a series of public-service announcements taped for SCBB by author Stephen King will be released. King credits blood donors and first responders for saving his life after being hit by a van 11 years ago. He now donates blood to SCBB as often as he can. Seventeen agencies will participate in this year’s event, which runs through Aug. 2.