CENTERVILLE — Community members came out to support an annual memorial blood drive for a fallen Centerville police officer on Monday.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The 29th annual Officer John P. Kalaman Memorial Blood Drive was held at the Centerville Police Department.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 1 hospitalized after domestic disturbance near Marion’s Pizza
- 25-year-old man charged in RTA bus hub shooting
- Over 80 slot machines seized in Ohio raid
In 1998, a driver hit and killed Centerville Officer Kalaman and Washington Township Firefighter Robert O’Toole in the line of duty while they responded to a crash on I-675 in Montgomery County.
In the wake of the loss, the Kalaman family became advocates for Ohio’s Move Over Law and founded the annual blood drive.
This year’s event is the first drive held since the passing of Officer Kalaman’s parents, John and Paula, who helped shape the drive into one of the region’s most impactful memorial efforts.
“This year’s drive is especially meaningful,” Lieutenant Michael Yoder of the Centerville Police Department said. “We are not only honoring Officer Kalaman’s sacrifice, but also the incredible legacy his parents created that continues to save lives year after year.”
First responders, local leaders, and community members have been participating in the drive for more than a decade.
Mary Graham, of Centerville, told News Center 7’s Amber Jenkins that she still remembers when Kalaman was killed.
“I’ve been supporting this blood drive ever since. It just really affected them when he lost his life and when he was trying to serve people on (Interstate) 675. It was a horrible, icy day,” Graham said.
The prolonged community support has helped make the event one of the longest-running memorial blood drives in the region.
“This blood could go on to an officer that needs it, it could go to a family member, go to somebody in the community, even somebody across the country,” Officer Ryan Turner, of the Centerville Police Department, said.
According to Versiti Blood Center of Ohio, more than 4,500 units of blood have been collected since it started, potentially helping save over 13,000 lives.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
