Kings Care Foundation Honors CHLA's Blood Donor Center Recruiter

This past Friday, Raul Gonzalez (left), recruiter at the CHLA Blood Donor Center, unexpectedly and tragically passed away during a drowning incident that claimed the lives of him and his wife, Esmerelda, in Lake Havasu.
Gonzalez served as the face of CHLA's Blood Donor Center, both within CHLA and in the community at large for more than 15 years.
He was known to all as a kind, caring professional and worthy partner who devoted himself to meeting the transfusion needs of CHLA's patients. His upbeat disposition and can-do attitude shone through in every interaction and made him a lynchpin of the Blood Donor Center team.

Gonzalez was a leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor and drew upon his experience as a patient to connect with CHLA's patients and to make a compelling case for blood donation.
He worked closely with high schools, movie studios, nonprofit organizations, celebrities, family members of CHLA patients and members of the media while organizing blood drives. including the LA Kings organization.
He founded CHLA's annual celebrity blood drive, which draws numerous actors and musicians to the hospital to give blood during times when donation supplies are traditionally low. He was a proud recipient, along with his fellow members of the Blood Donor Center Team, of the Daisy Award last November. His work, along with those of his colleagues, saved countless lives.
True to the form that Gonzalez's commitment took over the last 15 years, his family is asking that those who wish to honor Raul do so
by donating blood at CHLA.
If you would like to help Raul's family, you can also
donate here to help pay for Raul's services and arrangements.