Family of man killed at Butler County Trump rally organize nationwide blood drive in his memory
The sisters of a Butler County man who was killed during the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump last summer are now turning their family's tragedy into life-saving action.
Corey Comperatore's mother and sister are speaking on the tragedy and what they're doing to keep his memory alive.
"We could not save our brother, but we have an opportunity, and you have an opportunity to save as many people every day that we can," said Dawn Comperatore-Schafer, his sister.
They are living with the memories of Corey and they don't want those memories to die. Now, they're hosting a nationwide blood drive in his honor and name.
Their hope is that countless other people will live thanks to their efforts.
It hasn't even been a year since gunshots rang out at the Butler County rally for then-candidate Donald Trump.
Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore was hit by gunfire and killed.
"Part of me will always be empty, I am missing one third of my soul," his mother, Karen Schafer Bird, said. "I just miss jagging around with him and talking with him, and being silly."
"I have good days, I have really bad days, but thankfully, I have my faith and I pray a lot and it gets me through," said Kelly Comperatore-Meeder, his sister.
"There are days that are excruciatingly painful, because there is a part of you, internally, that is missing," Dawn added.
The memories are still raw, and now the family is turning that grief into action with the blood drive. The idea was Karen's.
"I want people to know that the greatest gift you can give is your time with your parents and the people that you love," she said. "You can give back for free. It's like paying it forward."
Corey's sisters came up with the idea of working with Vitalant so that donors across the country could help out.
"One pint can save multiple lives, and every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion, which makes every donation that much more vital," said Maya Santana, the communications manager for Vitalant.
Corey's family said he was a man of faith, a loving husband, father, and brother, and a hero.
Now, they feel other people can become heroes by donating something that doesn't cost a dime or take a lot of time.
"You can save somebody's child," Kelly said. "Somebody's mother, somebody's father, do that in my brother's memory. He would be so proud of that."
"You have an opportunity to be somebody's hero," added Dawn. "Everybody has an opportunity to be a hero."
"People need to save each other, and I want to be his legacy that we carry on," Karen said.
On April 12 and April 13, potential donors can come to Laube Hall in Freeport to give blood, but if you can't make it there, you can still donate to the cause at any Vitalant location nationwide.
