You can honor our nation’s heroes and do your part to save lives during Miller-Keystone Blood Center’s Never Forget Weekend. The event on July 9 and 10 will feature the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit.

The exhibit is housed in a tractor trailer that expands into 1,100-square-foot display with artifacts, videos and audio clips from 9/11. Interactive tours will be given by New York City Firefighters who served during the attacks.

Never Forget Weekend will be a family-oriented event. The exhibit aims to educate people about the events of September 11, especially those who aren’t old enough to remember that tragic day. It’s also a powerful resource for people who haven’t had the opportunity to visit the memorial and museum in New York City.

Since 2013, the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit has visited nearly every state and welcomed over 500,000 visitors. It will arrive in NEPA that Friday night with a police escort starting at Susquehanna Brewing Company.

Miller-Keystone will also hold a blood drive all weekend long. Donors can book an appointment in advance online.

“Our goal is to collect 343 units, one for every firefighter that lost their life in 9/11,” said Kathy Rowinski, account manager at Miller-Keystone. “With that, we’re going to be able to help close to 1,000 local patients.”

Miller-Keystone Blood Center is an independent, nonprofit blood center that was founded in 1971. They are the exclusive provider of blood for 28 hospitals in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Just one donation can save up to three lives right here in our region.

The pandemic made it challenging to collect blood, especially since schools and workplaces couldn’t hold blood drives. Donations slowed, yet the need for blood didn’t subside.

“Under normal circumstances, every two seconds, somebody in the United States needs blood,” explained Rowinski. “And one in every seven people admitted to the hospital will require blood.”

Never Forget Weekend will be held on July 9 and 10 at the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, 400 Route 315, Pittston, PA. The exhibit will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day. The exhibit will also visit Miller-Keystone’s location in Bethlehem the following weekend.

Visit Miller-Keystone Blood Center’s website for more details about the event and helpful resources about donating blood. And check out Tunnel to Towers Foundation to learn more about their mission to support veterans and first responders.

Featured photo (top) courtesy of Tunnel to Towers Foundation