MKBC News & Community Impact

On Wednesday, April 9, Miller-Keystone Blood Center (MKBC) held its Winners Announcement and Wrap-up Celebration for the inaugural Blood Donor Madness competition. The celebration took place in the BSI Corporate Benefits Dugout Suite at Coca Cola Park, with the official announcement of the 2025 Blood Donor Madness champion occurring on the baseball field prior to the start of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs game.

Penn State Lehigh Valley was announced as the winner of the inaugural Blood Donor Madness event, designed to increase blood donations in the community by creating a fun, friendly competition between the colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley. As the winner, Penn State Lehigh Valley is the recipient of a $10,000 gift to its scholarship program generously provided by BSI Corporate Benefits, as well as the official MKBC Blood Donor Madness trophy.

“10 Lehigh Valley colleges and universities participated in our 2025 Blood Donor Madness competition,” said Rami Nemeh, President & CEO, Hospital Central Services, Inc./Miller-Keystone Blood Center. “Thanks to their support, approximately 450 blood donations were made, impacting more than 1,000 lives in our community. We are grateful to all of the colleges and universities that participated in this year’s campaign, and we congratulate Penn State Lehigh Valley on being crowned as the 2025 Blood Donor Madness champion!”

MKBC’s Blood Donor Madness launched on Monday, January 13, and concluded on Friday, April 4. Over this 12-week period, participating colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley competed with each other to see who would collect the most blood donations. The total number of blood donations for each institution was weighted, with each school given a goal of 4% of its total student population.

Full results of Miller-Keystone Blood Center’s 2025 Blood Donor Madness competition:

MKBC’s 2025 Blood Donor Madness competition was generously sponsored by BSI Corporate Benefits and Capital BlueCross. For additional information on this year’s competition, click here.

Local Leader Campaign Recognizes Top Blood Drive Sponsors in the Region

Miller-Keystone Blood Center (MKBC) recently recognized 20 regional organizations for their exceptional support of community health through blood drive sponsorship.

“Our Local Leader campaign celebrates schools, businesses, faith-based groups, and other organizations that go above and beyond to support our mission,” said Monika Wiegers, Director of Donor Relations at MKBC. ““By hosting blood drives with the only community blood center serving our regional hospitals, these groups help ensure a steady supply of lifesaving blood products for our local hospitals, playing a direct role in saving lives.

The following groups were recognized through MKBC’s Local Leader Award campaign for collecting 200 or more lifesaving units of blood during the 2024 calendar year:

• East Penn Manufacturing – 771 Units
• St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Parish – 390 Units
• Daniel Boone High School – 378 Units
• Kempton Excavating – 344 Units
• LVHN Cedar Crest – 337 Units
• St. Luke’s University Health Network – Bethlehem Campus – 324 Units
• Air Products – World Headquarters – 321 Units
• Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley – 316 Units
• Tower Health / Reading Hospital – 308 Units
• St. Peter’s UCC West Lawn – 292 Units
• Boyertown Community Blood Drive – 290 Units
• Indian Valley Community Blood Drive – 279 Units
• Blood Drive in Memory of Allison Perno – 278 Units
• Geisinger Medical Center – 262 Units
• Fleetwood High School – 261 Units
• Lehighton Community Blood Drive – 252 Units
• Palmerton Community Blood Drive – 234 Units
• Mister CarWash – 223 Units
• Guardian Life – 216 Units
• EnerSys – 200 Units

“Together, these 20 organizations collected more than 6,000 units of in 2024,” said Krista Hill, Community Engagement Manager, MKBC. “That amounts to impacting the lives of more than 15,000 patients in our local hospitals. We’re deeply grateful to the leaders and teams at these organizations for setting a powerful example of community service.”

For more information on Miller-Keystone Blood Center’s Local Leader Awards, click here.

“Bloodhound I” Debuts on April 1 Thanks to Generous Support from The Fleming Foundation and EnerSys

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at MKBC’s Bethlehem headquarters on April 1 to introduce its newest bloodmobile, Bloodhound I. Named in honor of MKBC’s mascot, Half-Pint the Bloodhound, the vehicle will expand the center’s ability to collect lifesaving blood donations throughout the region.

According to Rami Nemeh, President & CEO of Hospital Central Services, Inc. & its affiliates including Miller-Keystone Blood Center, the new bloodmobile will begin operations immediately and help to bolster the community blood supply by increasing donations via blood drives.

“Approximately 40% of our community’s blood supply comes from donations collected at blood drives hosted by local businesses, high schools, colleges, churches, community centers, and other organizations,” shared Nemeh, noting that Miller-Keystone Blood Center maintains a list of more than 2,000 community blood drive partners who together, conduct on average, about 1,000 blood drives annually.

“These organizations are essential in educating the community and creating opportunities for individuals to roll up their sleeves and donate the gift of life,” Nemeh added, confirming that Miller-Keystone Blood Center is currently raising funds to purchase four bloodmobiles, and that The Fleming Foundation and EnerSys of Reading have both generously contributed to funding Bloodhound I. Additional organizations have also made gifts to MKBC’s bloodmobile campaign, and will be recognized on plaques located inside all four vehicles when they are in operation.

He noted that the arrival of Bloodhound I enables MKBC to retire at least one of the Blood Center’s older vehicles, which has exceeded its life expectancy.

“While the primary mission of Miller-Keystone Blood Center is to collect and distribute lifesaving blood products to our regional hospitals, our ability to operate efficiently relies on the generous financial support of individuals and organizations within our community,” added Lina Barbieri, Chief Philanthropy Officer, MKBC.

Kathleen Arnold, Trustee of The Fleming Foundation, emphasized the importance of supporting MKBC’s efforts. “The Fleming Foundation is proud to support the Miller-Keystone Blood Center and the critical service they provide to our local and surrounding communities. The new and modernized bloodmobiles are state-of-the-art and will ensure MKBC can continue to provide first-class comfort and convenience to their valued blood donors for years to come.”

“We are sincerely grateful to The Fleming Foundation and EnerSys for their generosity toward this first bloodmobile.” said Barbieri. “Their generosity, coupled with the generosity of other organizations who have made important gifts to this campaign, demonstrates their commitment not only to Miller-Keystone Blood Center but also to the health and well-being of our entire community.”

For more information on supporting Miller-Keystone Blood Center with a financial gift, click here; or to schedule your lifesaving blood donation, click here.