Kentucky Blood Center Enjoys the Biggest Collection Day of the 2025 Event

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With one day left in the 17th annual Big Blue Slam, Kentucky fans have the lead.
Powered by strong showings on the University of Kentucky’s campus, Kentucky Blood Center totaled 301 donations on Thursday to take a 1,025-1,016 advantage over LifeSouth Community Blood Center heading into Friday’s finale.
Thursday’s turnout is the high mark for either side through four days of competition.
“We called on Big Blue Nation to rally and boy did donors respond today,” said Mandy Brajuha, VP of external relations at KBC. “Can we do it again? If we can manage one more big day, we can win this event and feel better about the blood supply heading into the second half of winter. Just nine donations separate us from Florida so every donor is going to make a difference in the final outcome.”
Friday will be the last chance for Kentucky fans to make their mark in the latest edition of this friendly rivalry. Kentucky is riding a four-year winning streak and a 10-6 series lead, but the lead has changed on all four days of the 2025 event to this point. An end to that trend on Friday will result in a Big Blue victory.
All eight KBC donor centers (locations in Lexington, Louisville, Corbin, Frankfort, Pikeville and Somerset) will be open Friday, plus KBC returns to the Gatton Student Center and Lewis Honors College at UK along with a public mobile drive in Letcher County. Information on those drives, including links to sign up, is available at bit.ly/BigBlueSlam2025. Donors can also call 800.775.2522 to schedule an appointment. Appointments are highly encouraged but walk-ins will be accepted as space allows.

Friday is also the last day to get this year’s Big Blue Slam T-shirt, a retro version of the always-popular attire.
Of course, at the heart of the event is boosting the blood supply at a time of the year when winter cancellations and illnesses can hinder collections. The historical trends have continued in 2025 because of a brutal winter stretch that resulted in more than 1,000 units lost in recent weeks.
The blood supply needs help across the board, and O- remains in critical need with less than a day’s supply at KBC to supply more than 70 local hospitals. KBC is the exclusive provider of blood for UK HealthCare, Baptist Health, CHI Saint Joseph, Appalachian Regional Healthcare and more.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, show a photo I.D. and meet additional requirements.
Schedule Your Appointment and Slam the Gators!
About Kentucky Blood Center
KBC, the largest independent, full-service, nonprofit blood center in Kentucky, has been saving local lives since 1968. Licensed by the FDA, KBC’s sole purpose is to collect, process and distribute blood for patients in Kentucky. KBC provides services in 90 Kentucky counties and has donor centers in Lexington, Louisville, Frankfort, Pikeville, Somerset and the Tri-County area (Corbin).