Hershey Residents Initiate Fundraiser for Small Businesses 

Connor Corrente and Katie Toth are medical students at the Penn State College of Medicine and have enjoyed being a part of the Hershey community since they moved here three years ago. When things changed drastically due to COVID-19, they witnessed the outpouring of support that the community had for the medical center.

At the same time, they along with a close friend from The Hershey Company, Adam Clayman, noticed that there was a need that wasn't being met; businesses were closing and there was no indication of when they would reopen, or if they would be able to reopen at all. The three friends decided they wanted to launch a virtual 5K in an effort to raise funds to support local businesses.

According to Connor, "since moving to Hershey, we quickly became attached to the area and love the sense of pride and community that residents have for the town. When the pandemic hit, we knew we wanted to give back and help the town that we love so much. We decided a 5K would be a great way to encourage people to get outside promoting physical and mental health during this time of isolation, while also raising money to support what makes Hershey such a unique place - its small businesses!"

Connor, Katie and Adam worked with Lauren Zumbrun, Economic Development Manager for Derry Township and Manager of the Downtown Hershey Association to bring this idea to life. According to Lauren, "The Downtown Hershey Association is thrilled to engage members of our community as we explore new ways to support our local businesses during COVID-19. We're hopeful that the Run for Hershey Virtual 5k encourages a sense of community pride and togetherness in a time of social isolation, while helping to promote and provide support to the wide variety of local businesses we have in Downtown Hershey."

This race will be run as a virtual 5K. Participants are encouraged to walk, run, hike, bike, skip, even bunny hop a 5K any time by May 31st. Participants are also encouraged to share photos or video of themselves participating and share their love of Hershey on social media using #RunForHersheyVirtual5K.

There is a $15 registration race donation fee with the opportunity to donate additional funds if desired. The downtown Hershey Starbucks location is a pit stop on any participant's course offering a free tall beverage to race participants until the end of May.

The Hershey Company has generously offered to match race registration donations.

Detailed event information is available at DowntownHershey.com.