When children are involved in any organization, whether it’s a school or a nonprofit, they should always come first. However, according to this story from The New York Times, there seems to be so much neglect, greed and corruption at the board level of the Hershey Trust Company that the kids who attend the Milton Hershey School don’t have anyone to depend on. The school, founded by the chocolate tycoon in 1909 for underprivileged kids, is supposed to be run by the Hershey Trust Company; however, between bad business deals, overblown trustee salaries and breaches of general practices that seem designed to serve the board members over the children, this truly does seem like one of the greatest “nonprofit scandal[s] in the last 30 or 40 years,” as one critic states in the article. Sadly, corruption from the top-down is not too uncommon – however, when it comes to protecting children and making sure they get the education and resources they need, this case is particularly appalling.
Image: Children playing hockey on the grounds of the Milton Hershey School. Image Credit: Will Figg for NYT