Battle of the Badges

We spoke with President of the Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate Bob Fiore about the Battle of the Badge Blood Drive.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest today is Bob Fiori, President of the Connecticut Epilepsy
Advocate Foundation. Good morning, Bob, Well, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
How are you.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm great? How are you doing?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Getting better all the time? Thank you.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
So glad you have an event coming up next Thursday
the twenty fourth. It's the Battle of the Badge's Blood Driver.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah. Battle of Badger's Blood Drive is a tradition with us.
It's a great way for bragging rights between the police
department and fire department. It's on Thursday, April twenty fourth
from twelve to five pm Dane Agnes Church, four hundred
Merwin Avenue and Milford. And I got to say, every
year we do this, numbers keep going up and it's

(00:45):
just a friendly competition for bragging rights between a police
and fire department.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Why would you be having a blood drive?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well? Number one, When I was much younger, people with
epilepsy could not donate the gift of life. That is
changed for some but all people with epilepsy. So we
figured why not do it?

Speaker 1 (01:03):
And what are you hoping will happen from this?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's very simple when you come to say Ninmi Church
on four hundred Merwyn Avenue and Milford. There's a couple
of people there for checking and you just say who
you want to vote to go to either the police
or fight department. Just mark the box lift and.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
How do the police and firemen sign up for this?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Oh? Anyone to go to a full eight hundred Red
Cross or go to the website redcrossblood dot org. Put
in April twenty fourth and it'll be right there. And honestly,
it's such a popular thing. The openings we have now
are just in the afternoon from two to four point thirty.
I mean, blood donations are needed across the country. There's

(01:45):
always a slow down with blood donations and then with
the summer coming, people on vacations and don't have the
time to donate. So the more blood that's brought in
the better.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
And for people who don't know about the Connecticut Epilepsy
Advocate Foundation, what is it that you guys do?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate was formed in November two thousand and nine.
We help people throughout the state and across the country
we live with epilepsy, and we also help veterans too,
because they don't get enough tension with their healthcare. We've
helped people find doctors, get medications, look for treatment centers
whether they're here in Connecticut or out of state. And

(02:24):
again as far as the veterans, veterans healthcare is not
what it should be. We've always helped veterans the best
way we can.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
And your website is CTEA dot org. If anybody would
like to make a donation or find out more information.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Absolutely CTEA dot org. I mean we always say please
go to the second drop down. Testimonials are there, and
that's the selling point for us when you hear from
the people, and that's just a handful of people that
we've helped over the years. You see the kind of
book that.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
We do, and why did you decide to create this, Well, there's.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Other epilepsy organization in the state, across the country that
they just don't do enough, and I figured I should
start it. My wife encouraged me to start it and
show that other friends and family and we did.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Any testimonials you want to share with.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Me, Okay, a friend of mine, Felicia, was paying four
forty eight months for her prescriptions. We put her on
a program so she went thirty months and paid nothing.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
That's amazing. Yeah, and how's that changed your life?

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Well, it's made it so much better. And now that
her husband retired, we found a better insurance plan for
the both of them.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Well, you truly care about the people you help, You
really do. You're just a blessing. It's such a pleasure
to know you, truly.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
The Connecticut Eplepsy Advocate Foundation are recognized five oh one
C three based in Milford, Connecticut, and again that.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Event is called Battle of the Badges blood drive.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
You just go to c T dash E A dot
O or G and click on the blood drives page.
But it's all over social media. You can find almost
anywhere