Fifth Annual Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship® Program Announced

LYNNFIELD, Mass., Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hood®, New England's leading dairy processor, today announced it will award 18 $5,000 Hood Sportsmanship Scholarships® to high school seniors who demonstrate integrity and sportsmanship on and off the field. Three high school seniors in each of the six New England states – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont – will be awarded a $5,000 college scholarship for a total of $90,000.

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Now entering its fifth year, the Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship presented by Hood Milk has become one of the largest scholarships in New England and has impacted 72 students and their families over the past four years.  Celebrating not only strong academics, Hood aims to recognize the importance of good sportsmanship.  To be eligible for the scholarship, high school seniors must have proven their ability to put the spirit of competition above winning while participating in a varsity sport.

"Hood is proud to continue this tradition of celebrating good sportsmanship," said Lynne Bohan, spokesperson for HP Hood. "When we induct our 2014 Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship Hall of Fame students, Hood will have given almost half a million dollars in scholarship funds.  We look forward to celebrating even more students who serve as role models in their classrooms, communities and on their respective sports teams."

Gord Kluzak, retired Boston Bruins defenseman and current investment advisor at Goldman Sachs, will serve as the spokesperson for this year's program.  Kluzak earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard, and has always placed an emphasis on the importance of academics, athletics and sportsmanship.  "The Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship not only showcases the very best student athletes in New England but focuses on the importance of sportsmanship," said Kluzak. "Education and community involvement have played integral roles in my own career, so I am thrilled to be involved."   

The Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship program is open to seniors enrolled in a high school in one of the six New England states. Students must attend a two- or four-year accredited college or university in the fall of 2014 and meet the following criteria:

• Minimum of a 3.0 GPA
• Participated in a varsity sport in high school
• Volunteered in his/her community
• Displayed a high degree of sportsmanship while participating in a sport in high school

Entries will be accepted online at Hood.com or at Facebook.com/hphood now through March 3^rd, 2014. Students will be asked to complete the application form and write a short essay explaining how they display sportsmanship and integrity on and off the field. Voting will be open to the public March 17^th through April 18^th , 2014, at Hood.com and Facebook.com/hphood to determine the 10 finalists from each state who will then be interviewed by a panel of judges. The final 18 winners – 3 from each New England state – will be notified in May and be invited to attend an awards banquet, where Gord Kluzak will speak about the importance of sportsmanship.

For more information, and rules and regulations, please visit Hood.com.

About Hood:
Founded in 1846, today Hood is one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States. Hood is the number-one dairy brand in New England, and Hood's portfolio of national and super-regional brands and franchise products includes Hood, Crowley®,  Simply Smart® Milk, Heluva Good!®, LACTAID®, BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers, HERSHEY®'S Milk and Milkshakes and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilks. For more information about Hood, please visit Hood.com.

SOURCE Hood