Hershey's Track & Field Games…Putting fun into fitness for 30 years.
Hershey's Youth Program was created in 1975 by Dr. Donald Cohen, who also founded the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in the United States. Dr. Cohen presented his proposal to the seven major organizations of track and field, stating that he had read a number of reports prepared by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports which painted a bleak picture of physical fitness in the nine to fourteen year-old age group in America.
To combat this situation, he proposed the creation of a program which would introduce kids to physical fitness through basic track and field events like running, jumping and throwing. Dr. Cohen believed the program should be accessible to all young people, so no special equipment was necessary. He envisioned a program where people could go to their local community playgrounds and parks and participate in tennis shoes, shorts and a shirt.
The inaugural program was conducted on 36 playgrounds in the city of Charleston, West Virginia. Representatives from the West Virginia Park and Recreation Department evaluated the program and agreed that a state-wide program should be held. In 1976, the state of West Virginia conducted a successful program, and the next step was a 10 site regional meet in 1977.
The one drawback was lack of funds to sponsor the meet. Dr. Cohen had been working with a public relations firm in Pennsylvania and they suggested that he approach the Hershey Company because of its tradition of helping young people.
Milton S. Hershey, founder of The Hershey Company, believed that money should be used to help others. Even though Mr. Hershey and his wife were childless, their focus was on the youth and their welfare. In 1909, Mrs. Hershey came up with the idea of housing and educating 100 orphans at a boys school. Mr. Hershey wholeheartedly supported the idea.
Following Mrs. Hershey's premature death in 1915, Mr. Hershey donated $60 million to the School. Today, the Milton Hershey School houses and educates approximately 1,300 boys and girls whose family life has been disrupted.
In 1976, Dr. Cohen talked with William E. Dearden, former chairman and chief Executive Officer of The Hershey Company, about sponsoring the program. Mr. Dearden thought that the philosophy of the Youth Program matched Mr. Hershey's philosophy of helping young people reach their potential. The Hershey Company funded the 10 state regional program on a trial basis. The 1977 trial was a success and the first national program was conducted in 1978.
Now 30 years later, the Hershey's Track & Field Games is the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America, with over 400,000 kids participating last year. Because of Dr. Cohen and the commitment of The Hershey Company, the Hershey's Track & Field Games continue to put fun into fitness for kids.
