LOUISIANA'S
Welcome to Louisiana's Hershey's Track and Field Website. Here you will be able to find any information or details about this program. We hope that you find what you are looking for and that you become more involved in the future of the program.
Our Mission
To provide a quality recreation program where children in Louisiana have fun and are introduced to physical fitness through basic track and field events, such as running, jumping and throwing for our State and to promote physical activity and fitness for a lifetime.
Organization Profile
Initiated as a playground track and field program in 1975 in Charleston, WV, by Dr. Donald P. Cohen, Hershey's Youth Program has become the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America. The State of Louisiana adopted the program shortly after it became a National program in 1977.
It was adopted by the Louisiana Recreation and Parks Association as the primary resource and sponsor for implementing this program for the youth of Louisiana. It eventually ended up in Lafayette, LA with the Lafayette Recreation and Parks Department as its permanent host where it has remained since 1987.
The program continues to be sponsored by the Hershey Foods Corporation annually. It is also sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), the President's Council on Physical fitness and Sports and Athletics Canada. This year we are continuing a new relationship with NIKE through their Nike Grind Program by encouraging recycling of old tennis shoes for new playgrounds and expect it to start a long, beneficial relationship for both NIKE and the Hershey's Track & Field Program.
