Celebrate the Life of a Fallen Local Hero

Lancaster, CA – On Thursday, May 13th, California Highway Patrol (CHP), Antelope Valley Area, will be hosting a blood drive to honor one of their own – Andy Ornelas. Officer Ornelas joined the CHP in 2016 to continue his family’s legacy in law enforcement and to help create a future that people would be proud of.

Unfortunately, Officer Ornelas passed away after his departmental motorcycle was struck by another vehicle in December of 2020. His team wants to continue his legacy and create that future he longed for; therefore, the CHP and Houchin Community Blood Bank are joining forces to encourage people in our community to donate blood in honor of Officer Ornelas.This blood drive will be hosted by the Antelope Valley CHP at their office located at 2041 West Avenue I, Lancaster, CA 93536 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.

“Officer Andy Ornelas was dedicated to serving his community and to saving lives, both as a former paramedic and as a CHP officer. He was on his way to help a complete stranger when he made the ultimate sacrifice. It is in this spirit I hope people willmake the decision to donate blood; to help save the life of someone they’ve never met,” said Captain Eric Broneer of the Antelope Valley CHP.

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. requires a life-saving blood transfusion, and each donated unit of whole blood can save up to three lives.

For any questions involving the blood drive, please contact Synthia Rocha, Account Manager, at srocha@hcbb.com or 661-331-1313.

To schedule an appointment, please call Synthia or visit www.hcbb.com/schedule. Appointments are highly recommended for this drive. For information about our safety precautions, please visit www.hcbb.com/covid.