HERSHEY, Pa., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With NCAA basketball fans everywhere transfixed on NCAA March Madness^®, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is helping celebrate this legendary event by sponsoring the annual Reese's College All-Star Game, which will be played as part of the 2015 NCAA Final Four weekend and features top senior NCAA basketball student-athletes. The game complements the brand's larger relationship with the NCAA as official candy partner and sponsorship of the third annual Reese's Final Four Friday®.  

This year, Reese's Final Four Friday and the Reese's College All-Star Game will take place on Friday, April 3, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Reese's Final Four Friday activities will begin at 11:30 a.m. EDT and will feature practices from NCAA Final Four teams, then the Reese's College All-Star Game will tip-off at 4:30 p.m. EDT. The broadcast of the game will be taped and air on CBS the following day, Saturday, April 4, at 1 p.m. EDT with Carter Blackburn, Doug Gottlieb, Steve Lappas and Allie Laforce calling the action. Jim Crews from Saint Louis and Tim Miles from Nebraska will serve as head coaches for the East and West teams. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) will announce additional game information, including team rosters during game week.

In addition, Reese's Final Four Friday will begin with a celebration where Reese's, along with Kroger, will have a special celebration in conjunction with NCAA Team Works recognizing the contributions of our youth and volunteers who participate in the Community 101 Program.  The NCAA Team Works celebration will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 3 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.  Approximately 9,000 youth from Greater Indianapolis who have conducted community service projects leading up to the Final Four have been invited and will be treated to a series of special events that include a special performance by musician Austin Mahone and other guest celebrities. The Reese's brand and Kroger will also provide NCAA Team Works with a $10,000 grant during the celebration. 

"The Reese's brand has a long and distinguished history with NCAA and March Madness and we are excited to once again sponsor activities this year," said Anna Lingeris, spokesperson, Reese's brand. "The Reese's College All-Star Game and Reese's Final Four Friday are the perfect combination to enhance our NCAA partnership. The charitable aspects are always a highlight, and we're very proud to partner with Kroger and recognize youth in the Indianapolis area that have made significant contributions to their community."

To celebrate March Madness, fans can also participate in "Put Reese's in Your Starting Lineup," a promotion focused on entertaining during the NCAA Tournament to select their "starting five" Reese's products for a chance to win prizes. Fans can access great gameday content to put in their starting lineup, like delicious Reese's recipe ideas, by visiting GoREESES.com.

"Reese's has done a fantastic job bringing the Final Four spirit to fans with the Reese's All-Star Game and Reese's Final Four Friday," said Keith Martin, NCAA managing director of marketing and broadcast alliances.  "Reese's has been a loyal partner and supporter of the NCAA, its fans and our student-athletes, and is one of the main contributors to the success of Final Four weekend." 

"We are proud to broadcast the Reese's College All-Star Game during Final Four weekend and to work with Reese's as part of our year-round partnership," said Devron Edwards, Vice President, NCAA Partnerships, CBS Sports. "Reese's continues to provide great opportunities to NCAA fans and NCAA student-athletes."

As the official candy partner of the NCAA, the Reese's brand also sponsors the Reese's Senior Bowl, in addition to Reese's Final Four Friday and the Reese's College Basketball All-Star Game. The Reese's Senior Bowl is the premiere college football senior showcase. It annually features the country's best senior college football players and top pro football draft prospects.

For more information on the Reese's brand, visit www.reeses.com and find us on Twitter @ReesesPBCups, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Reeses and on Tumblr at http://reeses.tumblr.com/.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and approximately 15,000 employees. With revenues of more than $7.1 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 80 brand names, including such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's Special Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers.  The company is focused on growing its presence in key international markets such as China, Mexico and Brazil while continuing to build its competitive advantage in the United States and Canada.

For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where its employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society and local communities. Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and funded by a trust administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company's success.

About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 460,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Allstate, Amazon (Kindle), Bing (Microsoft), Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, Burger King, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Nabisco, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's (Hershey's), Unilever and UPS.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas.  Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game.  The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches.  All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes.  The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.  Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.

NCAA, Final Four, Final Four Friday and March Madness are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. 

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