Y&R Star Michelle Stafford Marvels At Tragedy Leading To Triumph

Like so many, Y&R star Michelle Stafford was devastated by the senseless death of Eddie Ornelas, who was shot in Lynwood while simply standing on a street corner. Thanks to the contributions of some amazing people, a memorable tribute helped the community heal.

Michelle Stafford Praises Positive Social Media

The Phyllis Summers actress took to social media with a post that consists of four photos along with heartfelt words. “This is when Social Media is AMAZING,” she began. “Maybe some of you saw my post about Eddie Ornelas. He was shot in Lynwood two weeks ago while standing on a street corner. How I found out about this… The total beautiful bada** that is @pattyrodriguez posted something about Eddie, then I posted about Eddie along with a gofundme.

“After this, I connected up with this angel @theaudreymachine who is a teacher in Lynwood who knew Eddie and all his friends,” continued Stafford. “She connected me with Eddie’s brother, then I called my friend Steve Berra who is a legend in the skate world and owns @_berrics and he put together the most EPIC day for Eddie and all of these kids from Lynwood skate park.” The Daytime Emmy-winning actress went on to share a bit about the young man who was killed.

“Eddie’s dream was to be a pro skater,” she shared. “These babies really got to honor Eddie in the right way. Steve made it so incredibly special for these kids. He went above and beyond. They were beyond honored to be at @_berrics a park for only pro skaters. I have gained new friends through this, people who really want to make a change in the community. @theaudreymachine said, ‘We can’t wait for someone to save us, we have to do it ourselves.’ I do agree with that but at the same time I feel we must make the people WE voted into office accountable.”

Stafford also spoke out, asking Senator Lena Gonzalez what she’s doing to ensure that children remain safe on street corners. “So I would like to ask you #senatorlenagonzalaz (she doesn’t allow you to tag her… hmmmm) and you @rendon63rd what can you do to keep our kids safe…? With all due respect… I won’t stop asking until I get answers.”

The actress thanked several people who helped make the special tribute to Ornelas at the Lynwood skate park. Then she also had a special message for her followers. “Thank you all for reading this post and caring about this sweet boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thank you all for your future care. This isn’t over. More change to come,” vowed Michelle Stafford.

You can check out the post with photos by photographer and middle school history and leadership teacher Adolph Lopez III in the post below.

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.