By Jenny Farley and Alana Mauger

The Preston & Steve Morning Show debuted on 93.3 WMMR in May 2005. That same year, the duo launched two annual philanthropic endeavors that have stood the test of time: Camp Out For Hunger, a week-long food and money collection benefitting Philabundance, and “I Bleed For Preston & Steve,” a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross. Both campaigns turn 20 in 2025.

Growing from a small storefront affair in the former Franklin Mills Mall to one of the largest blood drives in the country, “I Bleed For Preston & Steve” has collected 21,999 donations since its inception.  More than 900 of those donations came from this year’s drive, which was held on June 12th at Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia and June 13th at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.

“You guys came out and you did it once again,” said Morning Show co-host Preston Elliot when announcing this year’s totals during their June 17th show. “Our 20-year grand total is 21,999 units of blood. Wow. Let’s call that 22,000.”

Co-host Steve Morrison added, “that’s a crap load of blood. Needless to say we’re thrilled.”

Like last year, the Friday portion of the blood drive featured 13 hours of live broadcasts, starting with the Preston & Steve Show (6-11 a.m.), Pierre Robert (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) and Brent Porche (3-7 p.m.). Jacky Bam Bam (7 p.m.-midnight) greeted donors Thursday morning at Live! Casino between 8-11 a.m.

20 years of giving

Two long-time fans donated blood at the “I Bleed for Preston and Steve” drive for the 20th year in a row. Tom VanDuyne and Craig Powell consider it a can’t miss event.

“20 years I’ve been doing it. I think it’s pretty cool.” Tom said. “There should be a get together of all the people that did 20 years.”

It’s a chance to help people while having a great time.

“I still make sure I do not miss this. I start looking on my calendar and making sure that if I am going to donate before, that I’m still within the range,” Craig said.

Craig remembers making his first Power Red donation at the second drive and has since kept up the tradition. During a Power Red donation, red blood cells are separated out from the other blood components and the plasma and platelets get returned back to you. Power Reds can be donated every 112 days.

Craig liked all the advancements the Red Cross has made in making the blood donation process more efficient. “It’s been fun to take part in this,” he said.

Blood donor Lena Marsh agreed. “It’s always very organized. You’re in. You’re out,” she said.

Lena started donating blood because her mother hemorrhaged when she was born and needed a lot of blood, so she donates every 8 weeks to “give back.” She likes to track where her blood ends up.

“I get emails every time I donate and they tell me who it went to, so I say a little prayer for these people and then I move on,” she said.

In the 20 years since the drive began, Pat Pavelka has only missed once. She’s such a fan of Preston and Steve that she joked the Red Cross might want to check her blood pressure when they are around. “I just get excited when I see them!” she said.

The show is what inspired her to donate in the first place.

“When they were talking about it and advertising that they were doing it, I said ‘I need to do this’ and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said. Like Craig, Pat also makes Power Red donations.

20 years of service

The blood drive couldn’t happen without volunteers like Carolyn Brehm and Stephanie Long. Carolyn started volunteering for the Red Cross in January and attended the Preston and Steve blood drive for the first time.

“I’m just very impressed. This is a great way to get the word out that people can donate blood,” she said.

Carolyn calls herself a “relatively new” Red Cross volunteer. She was surprised to learn that 90% of American Red Cross workforce is volunteer. “90%. That’s huge! They do so much.”

Stephanie is a blood donor who started volunteering for the Red Cross three years ago; this was her second Preston and Steve blood drive. She’s a trained social worker who said she loves volunteering for the Red Cross and she listens to Preston and Steve every day on her way to work.

“Everyone’s been really upbeat and happy to be here. Seems like people are enjoying the live broadcast, so it’s been a good day,” she said.

20 years of T-shirts

There’s a common bond among the many people who donated blood at the drive. First, a genuine desire to help save lives. Second, a brotherhood with other Preston and Steve fans, and third, a breathless anticipation to get this year’s featured “I Bleed for Preston and Steve” limited edition T-shirt.

The shirts have a following of their own and people talk about them with glee and view them as prized possessions.

For graphic designer Kristen Kimball, who came to donate blood with her husband Jay on Friday, this year’s shirt was uniquely special. She designed it.

Her husband calls her a Preston and Steve “super fan.” Kristen’s T-shirt art features the Philadelphia skyline with the names of the Morning Show crew inside the buildings’ outline.

She said, “I love these guys, and I love Philadelphia, so I just kind of started puttering around with it and then made the graphic.” Kristen and a friend decided to make their own T-shirts featuring her design.

“It was very organic. It wasn’t meant to be anything big. Just us having a little fun,” she said.

When she, her husband and two friends wore their shirts to spring training when Preston and Steve were broadcasting live from Clearwater, Florida, it caught their attention and you know what happened next.

“It’s very humbling that they wanted to use it,” she said.

Looking ahead to 21

Plans are already in the works for the 21st annual “I Bleed For Preston & Steve” blood drive, which will be held in June 2026. But you don’t have to wait until next year to make an impact. Blood donations are needed 365 days per year. Whole blood donations can be made every 56 days and Power Red donations can be made every 112 days.

“If you didn’t get a chance to join us to donate blood, sign up, find a blood drive near you. They’re going on every single day,” Elliot said during the show’s June 17th broadcast. “If you’ve held off, take a shot at it because you save lives.”

To schedule an appointment to donate, visit RedCrossBlood.org.

Slide show photos by Jenny Farley, Donn Greenberg, Konrad Jones, Kai Kwong, Bernadette Mathis, Alana Mauger, Maxine Mayer, Colin McPoyle and others. Check out our Flickr album for more photos.