The Milton Hershey School

What comes to mind when I say “Hershey”.

For me the first thing to pop in my head has always been the classic brown chocolate bar with it’s bold white writing. Visions of girlscout camp S’mores and Halloween’s past follow quickly behind that. . .

Since the late 90’s Hershey has also made me think of my brother Ted, who attended medical school in the town of Hershey. As a matter of fact, whenever we take a road trip south and drive past the signs for Hershey on I81 I have to call him on the cell phone, just to tell him we are passing it!

But a few weeks ago I went on a trip that changed the meaning of the word “Hershey” for me forever! That name is now inextricably tied in my mind to the Milton Hershey School.

The what?

I know, until I was invited to come and tour the Milton Hershey School, I didn’t even know it existed! So how did I get invited? Why did I go? What did I learn?

Loyal readers may remember that when I traveled to the South by Southwest conference in March, Hershey sponsored that trip. I was able to connect with them through the Walmart Elevenmoms program. They were a great sponsor to work with. Not only was their representative Tiffany organized, professional and just plain nice, but they have a product that I truly love (mmmm-chocolate). It was an honor to be one of the folks helping them jump into the social media jungle!

Social media in general is all about building relationships. Relationships between the consumers and brands and relationships with the people behind the brands. I really enjoyed getting to know Tiffany from Hershey through that sponsorship opportunity, and the relationship we forged led to her contacting me when they were coordinating a media visit to the Milton Hershey School.

Why did I go?

Well, I live only 3 hours north of Hershey PA, so the trip was an easy drive for me. There was the lure staying at the gorgeous and historic Hotel Hershey and of a visit to the Hershey Spa* on the second day. I would also get the chance to meet and hang out with fellow blogger Renee Ross of Cutie Booty Cakes. I mean really, how many of you would have refused all that?

What really decided me though was the research I did about the school online. Not only did the school seem like a fascinating place to visit, but the more I learned, the more I felt that the information I learned might somehow lead to one of you being able to help a child that you know.

(You can see a slide presentation/story of my entire trip at the Whrrl Website. Just click on “see the story”)

So what exactly is the Hershey school? And why does it exist?

Believe it or not, I have waited to write this post because I was really trying to wrap my head around the best way to describe it. Have you ever seen something that was so fantastic, so wonderful, so interesting and meaningful that you doubted you’d really be able to convey the full experience to someone who hadn’t been there?

My trip to the Milton Hershey school was sort of like that.

Stripped down to bare bones-it’s a school. A boarding school if you will, for needy kids from pre-K through Highschool. We aren’t talking a juvie hall or anything here-kids have to have stayed out of trouble and maintained average grades. This school if for kids in need-both financial and social.

From the website:

In keeping with Milton and Catherine Hershey’s Deed of Trust , Milton Hershey School nurtures and educates children in social and financial need to lead fulfilling and productive lives. . . Milton Hershey School is a cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income, limited resources, and social need. The School is funded by a trust established by Milton S. Hershey and his wife Catherine. Milton Hershey School offers a positive, structured home life year-round and an excellent pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education. Our vision focuses on building character and providing children with the skills necessary to be successful in all aspects of life.

The average household income for the children who are accepted into the school is $17,000 for a family of 4. Many of them come from broken homes, or from places where they have no support network. Once accepted the students go to live at the school and everything is taken care of. School. Travel expenses. Medical. Dental. clothes. housing. food. Everything-100% free to the students.

What did I learn from visiting? That it is so much more than that.

There is the school, sure. We toured the Highschool facility and were told about the Jr High and the Primary schools. Top notch facilities, a waiting list of teacher applicants, fantastic programs. Honestly-they have audio video and sports facilities far superior to those in my local school system! There are great vocational type programs, like the culinary arts program that was conceived and implemented by the 5 star chef from the world class Hershey Hotel itself.

That could have been all it was, a place to live and go to school, to give kids a superior education then where they were, and a chance at a better life. But it’s more, and I don’t know exactly how to explain it to you.

The thing that impressed me the most is that everyone we met seem to care, really care, about the kids. About giving them a better chance, and a better start in life than they might have had otherwise. That caring isn’t dependent on being lucky enough to have a few good individuals who go above and beyond-it’s actually built into the system.

Let me try to explain. When I heard about the school, and that the kids lived there, I assumed that they were in a dormitory type situation.

I was wrong.

The Milton Hershey School operates on a “Family home” style of boarding. These are houses, which look like your basic suburban tract houses, that have a set of house parents** and up to 10 children of the same gender in the same grade range.

The house parents must be married. They cannot have more than 2 children of their own. Their full time job is to provide love, guidance and support to the children under their care. They check homework. They make sure everyone gets to sports practice. They monitor the mandatory chores and ensure that everyone gets new clothes when they grow, medical and dental when they need it, and a safe, steady, loving environment.

The kids stay in the same home, with the same houseparents, until they “graduate” to the next school (ie from primary school to middle school) and a new home.

2 adults and an entire house for 10 kids not the most cost effective way to manage the some 1800 students that attend the school. But the system isn’t created for cost effectiveness but for the best interests of the kids.

There are so many more examples like that-I could write a book all about it, but I’ll spare you the excessive details.

I do want to mention that the school is completely funded by the Hershey Trust. They do not ask for any money from parents and they don’t do any fund raising. The Hershey Trust (a non profit) actually owns 72% stock in the publicly traded Hershey Company. So when you buy a Hershey product, you are directly contributing to the funding of the school.

Now, due to the way that the original Deed of Trust was written by Milton Hershey the school is not allowed to advertise. You read that right, they aren’t allowed to advertise themselves! They currently have about 1800 students, but are undergoing a major expansion and are accepting new applications.

If you know of someone who might benefit from attending the Milton Hershey School, or someone who works with kids who might benefit, then please tell them about it! Guidance counselors, clergy, folks who work in social services. Even a family friend who might be in a very tough spot. The more folks who know about the school, the more kids who can get helped.

The admissions section of the website has extensive information on the critera, selection etc-you can refer folks there. There is also a section of the website for professionals who may wish to refer children to the school. The Milton Hershey School also holds events for social service and educational professionals to learn about the School and the application and enrollment process.

I just want to end by saying a big “Thank You” again to the entire Hershey’s team. The trip was truly an enjoyable and educational experience!

*Note: I’ll be writing more about the spa experience-and frugal alternatives-soon.
**Note: The school is not trying to supersede the biological parents. Parents and children are encouraged to maintain close contact-the school even covers all travel arrangements for kids to visit home for breaks etc. However if students to not have a safe enviroment to return to they are also welcome to stay at the school.

Photo by Koyochi and The Prodigal Untitled