High School
Hero Cord

Our students understand the meaning of community!

High School Hero Cord Program

At Miller-Keystone Blood Center, our objective is to ready young adults into becoming responsible individuals who contribute to our community by ensuring a safe and stable blood supply.

Today’s high school students are tomorrow’s lifesavers, and we need them to become life-long blood donors. Our Red Graduation Cord program is designed to recognize seniors at their graduation ceremony for being a life-saving blood donor, and to honor them for making significant contributions to our community.

Application for the 2024- 25 High School Red Cord Program is now CLOSED.
Application for the 2025-26 Red Cord Program will launch in February 2026.

Each student who qualifies and submits their online application will receive a Certificate and red Recognition Cord.
Note: select schools participate in the Certificate Program, but not the CORD program.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Your MKBC Account Manager
1-800-B-A-DONOR

How the CORD Recognition Program works:

There are 2 ways to earn your RED CORD:

Donate Blood Four (4) Or More Times During High School Career
- Students 16 years of age and older must register to donate blood four (4) or more times during their high school career.
  - Donors must be 16 years of age or older. State law requires written consent by a parent or guardian for 16-year-olds to donate blood. Please print both the front and back of the form linked below and present both pages at the time of your donation.
    16-year-old Consent Form (8/21)
  - Persons 17 years of age or older (or certain emancipated minors) may donate without consent of a parent or guardian (unless required by their high school).
  - Donations can be made at high school blood drives, community blood drives, or at one of Miller-Keystone’s donor centers.

Volunteer Four (4) Or More Times for the High School’s Blood Drives During High School Career
- VOLUNTEERING: Students who are ineligible to give blood may still participate in the Cord Recognition Program by volunteering to assist on a minimum of four (4) blood drives during their high school career.
- As a volunteer they may recruit donors (documented e-blasts, sign up donors, promote the blood drive by student announcement PSA, put up posters and/or distribute flyers if allowed by the school, etc.), or work in the canteen at their designated school blood drive.
- Volunteer hours must be approved and verified by a school sponsor.

Eligibility Criteria and Graduation Guidelines

Additional Requirements

Blood donations and volunteer hours cannot be combined – qualified cord recipients must have donated blood at least 4 times – OR – volunteered at least 4 times. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept a combination of these two activities.
Graduating seniors must fulfill these requirements by May 8 or their high school awards event, whichever comes first.
Miller-Keystone Blood Center and the participating high schools will work closely together to identify all graduating students eligible for the Cord and/or Certificate.
The student’s high school must participate in the Cord Recognition Program in order to receive the Cord and/or Certificate for graduation.

Participating Schools | High School Cord Program

* asterisk indicates school is certificate-only

Antietam High School
Bangor High School
Belvidere High School
Berks Career & Technology Center-East
Berks Career & Technology Center-West
Berks Catholic High School
Bethlehem Catholic High School
Bethlehem Vo-Tech
Blue Mountain Academy
Blue Ridge High School
Boyertown Area Senior High School
Brandywine Heights High School
Building 21
Burlington County Institute of Technology
Canaan Christian Academy
Carbon Career & Technical Institute
Career Institute of Technology
Central Columbia High School
Daniel Boone Area High School
Danville Area High School
Dieruff High School
Dock Mennonite Academy
East Stroudsburg South High School
Fleetwood Area High School
Freedom High School
Governor Mifflin Senior High School
Greater Nanticoke Area High School
Hackettstown High School
Hamburg Area High School
High Point Baptist Academy
Kutztown High School
Lehigh Christian Academy High School
Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Arts
Lehighton Area High School
Liberty High School
Marian Catholic High School
Muhlenberg High School
Nazareth High School
Northampton Area High School
Northern Lehigh High School
Northwestern Lehigh High School
Notre Dame High School
Old Forge High School
Oley Valley High School
Owen J. Roberts High School
Palisades High School *
Palmerton High School
Pen Argyl High School
Pennridge High School
Perkiomen Valley High School *
Phillipsburg High School
Pine Forge Academy
Pittston Area High School
Pleasant Valley High School
Pocono Mountain East
Pocono Mountain West *
Pottsgrove High School
Pottstown High School
Quakertown Christian School
Quakertown High School
Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center
Riverside High School
Salisbury High School
Saucon Valley High School
Schuylkill Valley High School *
Spring-Ford High School
Tamaqua High School
Tulpehocken Senior High School
Twin Valley High School
Upper Bucks Technical School
Warren County Technical School
Warren Hills Regional High School
Western Montgomery Career & Technical
Whitehall High School
William Allen High School
Wilson High School (Easton)
Wyomissing High School

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High School
Hero Cord