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Hershey's
STRIVE Award Program
Hatti
Hartman
Volunteer
of the Year
Oak Hills
Youth Sports Association
Austin,
Texas
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Sally S. Johnson, Executive Director
National Council of Youth Sports
772-781-1452
youthsports@ncys.org
HATTI HARTMAN
RECOGNIZED AS HOMETOWN HERO
IN NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM
Volunteer leader rewards community
with enthusiasm and motivation
 AUSTIN,
Texas. (September 26, 2007)
- Hatti Hartman has been selected
by the National Council of Youth
Sports (NCYS) as the recipient of
the 2007 Hershey's STRIVE Volunteer
of the Year. Hartman is recognized
for her contagious spirit of enthusiasm,
her unparalleled ability to organize
and communicate, and her unquestionable
integrity.
In
between being a devoted wife and
mother of two children and holding
a full-time job, Hartman is a motivator
and doer for the Oak Hill Youth
Sports Association. With passion,
she finds time to organize try-outs,
conduct background checks on coaches,
order uniforms, settle umpire and
coach disputes, know the 'blue book'
rules, organize the field clean
up days, schedule the games, coordinate
tournament cook-outs and keep the
organization website updated. 'Hart'man
is the humble heart of the Pony
baseball/softball volunteer-run
sports league.
She
loves youth sports and the kids,
and it shows. Hatti makes the effort
to really know the players giving
them positive words of encouragement.
Hartman makes certain the athletes
are properly recognized for their
perfectly pitched games, grand slams
and other outstanding accomplishments.
She has a magical ability to motivate
parents to action on behalf of the
kids and the youth sports league.
Hatti Hartman is the utility player
for the entire League and a true
hometown hero.
Year-after-year
Hatti Hartman has been know to be
the umpire, the coach or the commissioner
"pinch hitting" whenever
and wherever the need arises even
on teams that she doesn't have a
child playing on just because they
are Oak Hill teams. "It would
take ten people to wear all the
various hats that Hatti Hartman
wears each and every day,"
say supporters Linda Lotz and Lee
Cain.
STRIVE
stands for Sports Teach Respect,
Initiative, Values and Excellence
and the award honors adult leaders
for their "heartfelt passion,
enthusiastic commitment and contagious
spirit to help kids succeed in youth
sports activities." This year,
NCYS will present Hershey's STRIVE
Awards to a national administrator,
a volunteer, a coach, and two local
administrators. Honorees were nominated
by team members, parents or colleagues
and judged by a panel of NCYS officials.
Sally
S. Johnson, NCYS Executive Director,
noted that the lack of recognition
given to outstanding adult leaders
involved in youth sports prompted
NCYS to create the STRIVE awards
four years ago. "Honoring America's
hometown heroes on a national scale
gives them the praise they deserve,"
Johnson said. "It is awe-inspiring
to pay tribute to these exceptional
individuals who devote countless
hours each week, all while juggling
full-time careers, families, and
other commitments."
Hartman will be honored on Saturday,
October 20th at the Oak Hill Youth
Sports Association baseball/softball
fields. The STRIVE event presentation
is hosted by the NCYS and The Hershey
Company. During the celebration,
Hartman will receive a check for
$2,500 which she has announced will
be donated to the Oak Hill Youth
Sports Association.
Other
STRIVE winners
In
addition to Volunteer of the Year,
the other STRIVE Award winners for
National Administrator, Local Administrator(s),
and Coach of the Year include:
Mark Griffin, founder/president
of Play Rugby based in New York
City, New York is the Hershey's
STRIVE National Administrator of
the Year. Griffin has pioneered
a completely new and unique youth
sports education program using a
non-contact "flag" version
of rugby as an effective tool for
boys and girls in urban area schools
and after-school programs across
America. Griffin brings more than
23 years as passionate player, coach
and administrator to his position
at Play Rugby. He is committed to
strengthening youth character, academic
commitment and helping them build
a diverse range of social, moral
and physical competencies needed
to succeed in life. Play Rugby encourages
kids to have fun, improve their
fitness and learn a new game while
developing ten core values including
teamwork, leadership, discipline,
respect, and responsibility.
Amy Skeen of Chicago, Illinois will
be honored as one of the Hershey's
STRIVE Local Youth Sports Administrator's
of the Year. Skeen serves as Executive
Director of Girls in the Game, a
program that incorporates both multi-sport
and quality fitness opportunities
with comprehensive health and nutrition
education. Girls in the Game is
committed to enabling girls to try
a variety of new sports and develop
healthy habits in a safe and supportive
environment. Skeen leads by example
mentoring staff and coaches who
provide individual attention and
serve as positive role models while
improving the health and overall
well-being of girls.
George
Waldbauer of the Suffolk County
New York Police Athletic League
(PAL) will also be honored as the
Hershey’s STRIVE Local Youth
Sports Administrator of the Year.
PAL aspires to make a youngster’s
first experience with the police
officer a positive one by keeping
at-risk kids off the streets and
out of trouble in supervised athletic
activities. Waldbauer has been Executive
Director of PAL for 26 years. The
program has grown and now serves
over 29,000 boys and girls many
of whom would have no sports in
their lives without PAL. He led
the extraordinary effort to build
a state of the art multi-sports
complex for players and families
to enjoy. His supporters say, “For
George, it’s all about the
kids and his community.”
Ron Komornik of Virginia Beach,
Virginia was chosen as the recipient
of the Hershey's STRIVE Coach of
the Year Award. Komornik coaches
baseball and basketball to youth
ages 7-17. Komornik's nominators
said his focus on respect, discipline
and perseverance, as well as basic
sports skills, has improved young
players' self-esteem. His testimonials
are a tribute to the positive difference
one can make in the life of a child.
"He treats every player as
amazing individuals while leading
each one to great achievements as
a unified team."
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EDITOR'S
NOTE: For more information about
Hatti Hartman, the Hershey's STRIVE
Award or NCYS, please contact Sally
S. Johnson, NCYS Executive Director
at 772-781-1452 or youthsports@ncys.org.
| ABOUT The NCYS:
The National Council of Youth
Sports (NCYS) comprises the
who's who in the youth sports
industry. Its membership represents
more than 180 organizations/corporations
serving 52-million boys and
girls participating in organized
youth sports throughout the
United States. NCYS members
include organizations such
as: Little League Baseball,
Pop Warner Football, U.S.
Youth Soccer Association,
United States Olympic Committee,
and Boys & Girls Clubs
of America.
To learn more about the NCYS
visit www.ncys.org.
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ABOUT The Hershey Company:
The Hershey Company has long
offered successful fundraising
programs for youth in America.
Its sponsorship of the STRIVE
Awards stems from The Hershey
Company's devotion to helping
children of all ages to "Dream,
Reach and Succeed" in
everything that they do. For
more information about The
Hershey Company and its fundraising
programs, visit www.hersheysfundraising.com.
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