CLARK COUNTY — More than 100 people showed up to donate blood and save lives in honor of a deputy who gave his life protecting the community.
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The Deputy Matt Yates Blood Drive took place inside the gym at Tecumseh High School on Thursday.
“He lived a life of nothing but service, and he was very, like, saved lives first,” Sammy Russell, a Tecumseh High School senior, said.
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Russell and Brycen Dixon lead the chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) at Tecumseh High School. They came up with the idea of the blood drive honoring Yates for their SADD senior project.
“And so when you donate one time, you have three lives. So we’re doing that in his honor,” Russell added.
They went into it learning that 20 to 30 people would make for a successful blood drive. They ended the day with 104.
Seniors like Russell and Dixon were getting ready to start their freshman years when Yates was murdered in the line of duty in July 2022.
As News Center 7 previously reported, a suspect shot and killed Yates while responding to a gunfire complaint at a home.
The students who created this event didn’t know Yates.
“Just shows a legacy that Matt’s put on it and how many people want to make a difference in their community,” Dixon said.
Putting the blood drive on gave them a first-hand lesson on his legacy.
“He’s had some type of influence on them for them to come out here today,” Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy John Loney, a school resource officer for the district and SADD advisor, said. “It’s awesome that we’re coming up on four years from his passing and we’re still, his legacy (is) still living on.”
The blood drive is happening just before the Matt Yates Basketball Tournament. It’s a charity tournament at Tecumseh High School this weekend, benefiting a scholarship in Yates’ name. It helps students who want to study criminal justice or social services at Clark State University.
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