Milton Hershey School Houseparents Turned the Light Back on in My Life
By Myron McCurdy ’82, MHS Elementary Division Home Life Administrator
My siblings and I lost our father and our mother, so when I first came to Milton Hershey School, I wasn’t quite sure what houseparents were. I had been in foster homes and was almost five. The first thing I learned about houseparents was that they were always there. I always felt safe.
Houseparents became my protectors. And then the older I got, I learned they also became teachers. And I know my houseparents helped change the trajectory of my life and many of my brothers.
After everything I had been through in the first four years of life, it was like the light had been turned off. In a matter of a year or two at MHS, because of my houseparents, the light came back on. And it was obvious that I wasn’t in this alone anymore.
There were seven McCurdy boys here at one time from two families. And if our houseparents didn’t give up on us, then I can’t do anything less. I keep working for these kids and trying to be what turned the light back on for me.
My wife and I were relief houseparents for some time. Now, I’m a Home Life Administrator for Elementary Division. I work for these kids, and I try to be a father figure to them. They must know that someone is in their corner because I know my houseparents were always there for me.
And so, what I’ve learned working for MHS is that I need to be a protector. I need to be the teacher. I need to eventually be the guide and then a mentor to our students. Houseparents make the difference in the success of kids at MHS. We must keep working for them, too.
Learn More about Houseparenting at MHS