For 86 years, our Hershey Bears® hockey club has been thrilling fans on the ice. Off the ice, this storied American Hockey League team has prioritized giving back to the community and connecting with fans. Since 2018, the Hershey Bears Cares℠ charitable initiative has been the platform to highlight the organization’s community outreach and engagement. In a typical season, our players, coaches and staff members participate in dozens of meaningful events and appearances. It is a way for the team to thank the best fans in the league and give back to the community.
The Hershey Bears® hockey club is steeped in history on and off the ice. Bears players, coaches, and staff members emulate the example of our founder, Milton S. Hershey, by supporting the community through our Hershey Bears Cares initiative. This program includes visiting patients and families at the Milton S. Hershey Penn State Health Children's Hospital and Cancer Institute, hosting the annual record-setting Teddy Bear Toss, engaging with students at Milton Hershey School, and skating with American Special Hockey Association teams. The team donates to area organizations, gives tickets to families in need, and hosts thousands of first responders, active military, and veterans at games throughout the season.
Roaring to Read was formed to motivate youth in the community to develop a love for reading and promote the value, importance and enjoyment of reading and literacy among students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Hershey Bears connect with numerous elementary schools in the Central PA area to incentivize students with a complimentary ticket to a Bears home game once the student completes their school's reading challenge.
Each fall season, the Hershey Bears honors our military personnel through our annual Hometown Heroes game with its Seats for Soldiers & Veterans program. If you would like to purchase tickets that will then be donated to our military families, please visit our Group Sales page for more information. Seats for Soldiers sponsorship packages are also available.
The Hershey Bears Wellness All-Stars program is designed to encourage exercise and healthy nutrition into the daily lives of children from kindergarten through Middle School. The Hershey Bears work with various partners in the community to develop incentive programs.
The following programs are part of Wellness All-Stars:
Penn State PRO Wellness educates and inspires youth and their families to become champions for healthy life choices. The Hershey Bears are happy to partner with Penn State PRO Wellness by providing a complimentary ticket to a Bears home game for elementary and middle school students who participated in one of their schools Healthy Champions signature events (Walk to School Day and Apple Crunch.)
Learn more about the PRO Wellness Healthy Champions program
Each November, joining the efforts of the National Hockey League, Hockey Fights Cancer unites the hockey community in support of cancer patients and their families. The initiative gets an assist from players, coaches, officials, equipment managers, front office staff, corporate partners, and fans. Together, the hockey family looks to inspire hope and courage for those who are living with, going through, and moving past cancer.
If you are a not-for-profit organization seeking support from the Hershey Bears, please reference the following eligibility requirements.
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