a “Giant Bleacher Garden’’: a conversion which involves the removal of old bleachers in McDevitt’s legendary football field known to locals as “The Brickyard.” Sponsored by The Giant Company and Empower at The Bridge Foundation, the ambitious project (already underway) will provide fresh produce to underserved residents in the city of Harrisburg. To say that The Bridge founder and CEO Garry Gilliam is confident is an understatement. He speaks with a sense of ease and assurance that immediately demands attention. Perhaps his confidence and can-do spirit, instilled in him at an early age by his mother, Thelma Shifflet, is the reason Gilliam has taken on an immense project slated to fill a void in the city of Harrisburg. A proud graduate of Milton Hershey School, Gilliam reflects on how he first struggled with his mother’s decision to enroll him at MHS and how many nights he cried himself to sleep. “I had to grow up fast,” says Gilliam, who credits his mother’s tough-love approach to his confidence and drive and how he quickly discovered MHS was more than an average boarding school, “When I first got there [Milton Hershey] I actually tried to take off. But I was told by MHS staff they were my family now,” said Gilliam. “It had taken some time, but I quickly realized the sacrifice my mother had to make in order for me to have a solid future.” After toiling with confusion and tears and feeling abandoned, Gilliam adjusted to life at MHS and excelled in academics and sports, dabbling in extracurricular activities surprising for a young man from the inner city adorned with natural athleticism and physical gifts. “I immersed myself in a lot of activities to distract myself from being homesick,” Gilliam admits. “I even studied ballet and sang in a choir,” Gilliam said, adding that “It wasn’t until later I found out the school offered a wide array of programs intentionally.” Gilliam refers to Milton Hershey’s “whole child approach” as something he plans to infuse into the overall development of The Bridge, but along with an educational/recreational component, The Bridge’s mission is the “whole community approach” as it sets out to stimulate growth and economic
stability in an often-overlooked section of Harrisburg - an undertaking far more complex and lengthy than just a crafty rehab of an old structure. “With Milton Hershey offering those wrap-around and self-sufficiency programs so the students could be the best versions of themselves, I knew I had to take my knowledge and educational background a step further and do something beneficial for my community.” Armed with a well-rounded education and athletic ability, the former Penn State Nittany Lion offensive lineman brings to Harrisburg the grassroots spirit and ideas he siphoned from playing football in cities like San Francisco and Seattle, a regional hotbed for technology and innovation. That, combined with the lessons Gilliam learned about Milton S. Hershey himself from his time at MHS as well as Penn State University, shuttles his determination. “I’m very grateful for the environment I come from,” Gilliam said. When asked when the idea was planted and then began its germination process, Gilliam talks about how much he admires Milton Hershey’s vision for offering children opportunities in fields like carpentry and graphic design. “As I was looking around the area,” Gilliam begins, “I began to wonder to myself: where are the other towns in Pennsylvania like Hershey?” Milton Hershey’s spirit and entrepreneurship is the goal for Gilliam’s’ long yardage plan. “Along with this phenomenal school Milton Hershey built a business, a town, and, in a sense, developed a thriving ecosystem that provides jobs, entertainment, and healthcare” Gilliam exclaims. “Milton Hershey built a real legacy and I’m a product of it,” Gilliam adds. With plans to make Harrisburg the flagship location, Gilliam is adamant about his stance on individuals clinging to the mindset of needing to leave Harrisburg in order to see and envision big ideas. “Talent in this area is plentiful and evenly distributed. If someone wants to make something happen, they need to know they can do it in this city.” See The Bridge on Page 20 AUGUST 2022 HARRISBURG MAGAZINE 19
