Hershey Bears Co-Sponsor Event That Has Raised More Than $28,000 Since Formation

Hershey Bears fans brace yourselves-Arooga’s is about to make your day.

Harrisburg, Pa based Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar, in conjunction with the Hershey Bears, will host their 6^th annual ‘Running for Rachel’ fundraiser on February 28^th, an event raising more than $28,000 in just a couple hours duration to date for the Running for Rachel 5K, treating Bears and Arooga’s fans alike to an opportunity to meet players, get autographs, and bid on some awesome swag all in support of a great cause.

“The Hershey Bears love giving back to the community in a multitude of ways and one of the annual highlights is the Running for Rachel Night event,” said Bryan Helmer, Vice President of Hockey Operations. “We are excited to continue the great partnership with Arooga’s for the sixth anniversary of this fun and important event.”

The fundraiser will be held at the Arooga’s locations below on February 28^th from 6-8pm:

• Arooga’s 15: 1300 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill, Pa 17011
• Arooga’s 11: 4713 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, Pa 17050
• Arooga’s 39: 4301 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, Pa 17112
• Arooga’s 22: 7025 Allentown Blvd, Harrisburg, Pa 17112
• Arooga’s Hershey: 637 E. Main St., Hummelstown, Pa 17036
• Arooga’s 462: 125 S Centerville Rd, Lancaster, Pa 17603

The Running for Rachel 5K will be held this year on April 29^th, honoring beloved community member and college student Rachel Guss, who passed away in November 2011 from duodenal cancer, a rare form of the disease which is extremely difficult to treat. Since then, her family and friends have made it their mission to raise awareness and funds for gastrointestinal cancer research, their undertaking supported by this annual 5K.

“Teaming up with Arooga’s and the Hershey Bears is an incredible way to share Rachel’s story and raise money for cancer research,” said Erin Stone, President of Running for Rachel and sister of the charity’s namesake, Rachel Guss.

“Many members of our staff, as well as our guests in the Harrisburg area, remember Rachel fondly, so this has become an event very special and personal for us.” said Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar President and Co-Founder Gary Huether, Jr.  “Arooga’s is Harrisburg based, so to be able to contribute in any way to a local family’s endeavor is hugely important to us, and to do so with the Hershey Bears as our partners is very telling of the strong support system that we share within the Harrisburg community.”

The recipient of several national accolades, including selection as America’s Next Top Restaurant Franchise, as well as recognition among Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 500 Franchises of 2018 and Full Service Restaurant Magazine’s Top 50 Emerging Restaurant Chains, Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar pride themselves on their charitable contributions-particularly those local to the company’s headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa.  Arooga’s corporate owned locations have raised more than $250,000 since the brand’s inception in 2008 and continue to seek out organizations which might benefit from the company’s sponsored fundraising events. 

Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar is an innovative full-service casual restaurant and bar with a sports and entertainment focus that combines exceptional food and beverages, with unique concepts, and proprietary operational strategies. Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar was founded in July 2008, and currently has franchise agreements for nearly 100 locations in the Eastern U.S.  Arooga’s offers franchising opportunities for their “unique sports and entertainment restaurant & bar” concept to qualified multi-unit candidates.  For more information, visit www.aroogas.com, or contact Keith Swade, Director of Franchise Development at keithswade@aroogas.com.