This weekend I traveled to Hershey, Pa., for a hockey tournament. Though I have lived less than two hours away from the town for most of my life, I have only been to Hershey once. On that trip, my experience was limited to the park and a tour of the chocolate factory. However, as we drove through the town this weekend, it was not the park or the chocolate factory that caught my attention. Instead, the number of facilities named “Milton S. Hershey” caught my eyes. Without realizing, I said aloud, “That man sure did a lot for this town.”

As it turns out, there was much more to that statement than I even realized. Milton Hershey was a young entrepreneur from Lancaster County in the late 1800s. His first business, Lancaster Caramel Company, was a huge success. With the profits from the sale of this business, Hershey purchased farmland just north of his hometown of Derry Church, Pa. At the turn of the century, Milton perfected his own recipe for milk chocolate, and the now famous Hershey Kiss was born.

Though he was married, Hershey and his wife Kitty had no children. Their focus on giving back to their community began with what is now called the Milton Hershey School. Hershey created the Milton Hershey School Trust to benefit the school. This trust currently has 100 percent ownership of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. It established Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, with an expansive campus at the center of town.

Private charitable foundation M.S. Hershey Foundation was established to further contribute to the community. The foundation assisted in the creation of Hershey Museum and Hershey Gardens, the Hershey Theatre and the Hershey Community Archives.

It was a truly inspiring experience to see the impact that one man can have on a rural town in Pennsylvania. I cannot imagine how many lives have benefited from the opportunities created by these organizations. Traveling to Hershey offers a much bigger experience than just chocolate and rides and is well worth a visit!

— Danielle Hudena Pitonyak, executive vice president