'Blue Blood Drive' held in honor of fallen McHenry County sheriff's deputy

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- People in the northwest suburbs gathered for a good cause Saturday.

A law enforcement community together to remember one of their own as they turned out for this year's "Blue Blood Drive" in memory of slain McHenry County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Keltner.

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"It's for our law enforcement community," community resident Chris Olson said. "They serve and protect and they sacrifice every day."

The annual blood drive, which is now in its sixth year, took place at Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake. It's organized by the Keltner family as a way to give back to a community that gave them so much during their time of need.

"While Jake was in the hospital, he received several units of blood which made it possible for me to be with him before he passed, which is something I really appreciated," the sheriff deputy's widow, Becki Keltner, said.

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Over the years, the blood drive has collected more than a thousand donations. This weekend, more than 300 people signed up to give blood.

"We're local to the area, his family is as well," community resident Rosie Marshall said. "It really just hit us hard to hear about him and his story, and we just want to give back."

Saturday's donations are more important than ever, especially during January, which is a low donation month.

"We are expecting to be around 250 units collected today, and if you think about that, that can help over 750 people and save their lives," said Emily Alanis, American Red Cross district manager of donor recruitment.

Jake Keltner, a 35-year old McHenry County sheriff's deputy was shot and killed March 7, 2019 while serving a warrant as he worked as a special deputy for the U.S. Marshal Service Great Lakes Region.

"This is one of the things where you can bring everybody together from all corners of the community and really honor what he did, for not just for our community, but for the county as a whole," McHenry County Sheriff Robb Tadelman said.

Floyd Brown was convicted in the shooting and is currently serving a 55-year prison sentence.

Keltner, who worked for the McHenry County Sheriff's Department for almost 13 years, left behind a wife and two young sons, who said Saturday afternoon they are determined to keep both his memory and commitment to his community alive.

"I think he would be shocked at how big of support this community has been to our family, and I think he would be really proud to see that everyone's still out there coming together," Becki Keltner said.