Our Heartspitality culture equation starts with LOVE. An unconditional love that comes from our actions. Love at Herschend is choosing to behave in a manner that makes everyone feel welcome, valued, and respected. Leading with love in all we do is the foundation our founders planted to grow Herschend more than 70 years ago, and it continues to guide our actions today.
Back to school isn’t just for the kids anymore. Have you considered returning to school to finish a degree, grow your career, or start a new path? It’s never too late to build your dreams, especially when it’s free! Herschend’s GROW U. gives eligible hosts access to a wide variety of fully funded and partially funded education programs starting day one of employment.
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Silver Dollar City Foundation’s Care For Kids program served the needs of more than 5,100 children in Stone and Taney Counties (those closest to the park) this past school year. Over the past 18 school years, the program has provided more than $2.3 million to school districts, empowering educators to meet students' immediate physical needs.
“The Care for Kids program is, in a word, hope,” explains Kirbyville Associate Superintendent Leanne West. “The generous funding provided by the Silver Dollar City Foundation allows school districts to see and meet needs in an efficient and personal manner.”
Read more about the Care for Kids program for the 2023-24 school year by clicking below.
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For National Zookeeper Week, Adventure Aquarium highlighted its hardworking animal care staff. Check out this video of what goes into caring for their Nile hippos, Button & Genny.
Watch VideoThe leaders of The Dollywood Company recently came together to surprise and delight hardworking park hosts with a special appreciation event. After their shifts, hosts were greeted with a VIP Hawaiian Luau-themed ride to their vehicles. Golf carts, decorated for the occasion, were driven by various company leaders, and the Dolly Van also made an appearance. Each Host received a lei, popcorn, and a popsicle to enjoy as they embarked on their island-themed ride accompanied by cheerful island music and laughter.
Neal Thurman, the new Senior Vice President of Dollywood Parks & Resorts, reflected on the experience, "Within my first week at The Dollywood Company, I had a chance to join park leaders for our Ride to the Top event at Dollywood. It was such a joy surprising our Hosts and thanking them for the important work they do every day. Seeing our leadership serving our Hosts highlights the essence of our values. True leadership is about humility, appreciation, inspiring others, and fostering a positive environment where everyone can thrive."
Each year, the PINK Las Vegas partners with Communities in Schools for their Fill the Bus event to give every child the opportunity to have new school supplies. Folks in the community drop off school supplies, food, and clothing at 2 locations in Las Vegas.
This year, Tour Guides Brian Poirier and Carol Keane loaded donations from the drop-offs and delivered and unloaded them at the school warehouse. Pink Jeep did five roundtrips to and from the warehouse!
Brian notes, "We felt grateful to help these kids. It is a privilege to help this organization whose sole goal is to help others." Carol supported the event last year as well, saying, "We were happy to help this great cause. We were honored to represent Pink Jeep Las Vegas for our second year at this event.
Kentucky Kingdom proudly shares that first-year lifeguard Jessie Boyd earned the Golden Guard Award from Ellis & Associates. This achievement is reserved for exceptional performance of safety standards in swimmer surveillance, professionalism, and vigilance during unannounced safety audits. This elite status is achieved by less than 1% of all lifeguards evaluated at E&A client facilities as part of the Comprehensive Aquatic Risk Management Program™. Thank you, Jessie, for demonstrating your commitment to safety and Creating Memories Worth Repeating ® for guests!
Our purpose of Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating® comes to life through our actions. It gives our work meaning and connects our brands and hosts to one another everywhere.
HeartSong Resort Guest Experience Supervisor Theresa Jackson shares an experience she’ll never forget.
“I had the library books displayed on the coffee tables in front of the fireplace for Dolly’s Imagination Library Time when a group of deaf individuals came by to take pictures of the lobby fireplace. One group member asked to take a picture of me while I was holding a book in the rocking chair. Several more ladies from the group joined, and I gave them a brochure on the Imagination Library and told them about it as best I could. I do not know American Sign Language, but I do know how to give a smile and radiate warmth and a welcoming, loving spirit!
Owen Tharp, our morning musician roamer, was nearby and started to play his guitar. Two of the ladies reached out and put their hands on his guitar to feel the vibration of the music and began swaying to the beat. It was a moment that was almost sacred because it was so beautiful! It brought tears to my eyes. I immediately knew that I had to take a picture and share a glimpse into the little moments that become such special memories for our guests, those who create them, and the lucky observers like me who are there to experience them.
Moments like this drive me to continue doing what we do every day and are what brought me to work for The Dollywood Company!”
Shark Summer at Newport Aquarium is a chance for guests to connect with dozens of sharks and rays. At the Shark Central touch exhibit, guests can interact with them and develop a new perspective on these misunderstood animals. Guest Experience Host Dylan Mull went above and beyond to help one little girl overcome her fear of sharks. He introduced the girl to PJ, the Port Jackson Shark, and reassured her that PJ is very used to people touching her back. Dylan also showed her a replica shark jaw to explain that PJ’s teeth are not even sharp! The time Dylan spent with this guest inspired her to overcome her fears and feel PJ’s back. Dylan gave her a special Newport Aquarium patch to celebrate her accomplishment and bravery.
Pink Adventure Tours recently held a complementary Coyote Canyons tour for Cancer Hope & Awareness Month for Pediatrics. The group had such a wonderful experience that they created and shared a special thank-you video to show appreciation for guides Tallon Busby, Jim Allen, Patrick Ryan, Eric Anderson, and Derek Boik.
“A huge thank you for donating the jeep tour to the CHAMP Retreat families,” said CHAMPS group leader Kathryn. “The Jeep Tour is always a highlight of the weekend, and the guides were amazing. Please thank them all on our behalf for making memories for these families who desperately need to cherish their time together. Enclosed is a short video as our way of saying thank you!"
On Friday, July 5, Wild Adventures Theme Park welcomed children from Holistically Anchored, a non-profit providing mental health resources to underserved populations in South Georgia, for a special meeting with The World-Famous Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters took a break from their Summer Skills Showcase performances to sign basketballs and share their legendary basketball tips and skills with these enthusiastic young visitors. The kids were awe-struck to meet Bull, Sunshine, and Sky, who dazzled them with their prowess and positive messages of personal growth.
Your love for one another, our guests, and our communities makes our purpose possible, leading to something truly spectacular – real impact and an infectious joy that spreads through our hosts to our guests and out into our communities.
Silver Dollar City recently held its annual Pin Ceremony to celebrate and recognize more than 160 career anniversaries this year, including three people celebrating 50 Seasons! The Costume Shop’s Joleen Holt and the Horse Creek Band’s Butch Gregory and Larry Sledge.
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Harlem Globetrotter Julian “Zeus” McClurkin participated in Putt for Penguins, a celebrity golf outing hosted by the WAVE Foundation at Newport Aquarium. Putt for Penguins is WAVE's annual golf outing that raises funds to support their mission to inspire and foster environmental stewards of aquatic life through education, conservation, and volunteerism.
In June, “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward” was Emmy nominated for a second time in the Educational and Informational Program category. Keith Dawkins, President of Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios; Bronwen O’Keefe, Head of Branding Marketing and Content; Donte ‘Hammer’ Harrison, Chandler ‘Bull Dog’ Mack, Latif ‘Jet’ Rivers, Rock ‘Wham’ Middleton, and Sweet Lou Dunbar attended the event in Los Angeles, CA.
Like the tight tug of stretching old-fashioned taffy, the charm of Brown’s Candy Factory pulls folks in again and again. Tim Edwards felt it as a teenager when he told his boss, June Ward, that he’d be back one day—much older—to make candy after he retired. Tim’s time in the corporate world included an impressive 30-year run with Kraft, where he was the director of finance for over 17 plants. He recently returned to The City for “sweet” part-time work to fulfill that childhood promise.
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The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR) is now caring for a second baby sea otter, marking a historic first for the Rescue Centre. Luna, a female northern sea otter pup, was found on a crescent-shaped beach near Tofino, British Columbia, with her umbilical cord still attached. Newborn sea otters are helpless and completely reliant on their mothers, so Luna would not have survived on her own. While currently in critical condition and receiving 24-hour care, the VAMMR is hopeful for her rehabilitation – she is one resilient otter pup!
This rescue follows closely on the heels of another otter pup, Tofino, who was taken into care on June 18. As the only rescue facility equipped to care for animals like Tofino and Luna, the Vancouver Aquarium team thanks everyone involved for making rescues like these paw-ssible.
