After former Bellefonte and Penn State student Jeremy Herbstritt lost his life in the horrific shooting at Virginia Tech University 11 years ago, his dad, Mike Herbstritt, said the family received a great deal on support from the Bellefonte community. Since then, the family has done many things to keep Jeremy’s memory alive, trying to give back to the community that meant so much to all of them.
After years of hard work, one of the family’s goals for the community is almost complete, as Bellefonte will finally have a track to call its own.
“I remember being with Jeremy, and one time we were over at Penn State, at the track, and he said to me, ‘Boy, it would be nice if Bellefonte had a track like this,’” said Herbstritt, as he handed a check for $125,000 from the Jeremy Herbstritt Foundation to the Bellefonte school board at a meeting earlier in November.
The money will go toward the capital campaign to renovate Rogers Stadium.
Jeremy Herbstritt was a 1998 Bellefonte Area High School graduate who, according to his parents, found his confidence while running on the school’s track team. The Penn State alumnus was killed April 16, 2007, while pursuing a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech. His father said he felt an overwhelming amount of support from the community following his son’s death, and that his family will be forever grateful.
During the summer following Jeremy’s death, the Herbstritt family was looking for a way to give something back to that supportive community. They wanted to do something for Jeremy, not just to remember him, but to give him his day — the day he’d never have, as he’d lost out on so much through his untimely death.
So, they created the “Herbie’s Hometown Loop” event. The 4- or 10-mile race around Bellefonte is held annually during the Bellefonte Arts and Crafts Fair weekend. It is just one of the many ways the family’s foundation, named after Jeremy, is making a difference in the community.
It was an emotional moment for Mike Herbstritt as he presented the check to the school board and thanked them for making the track happen.
“The Bellefonte community helped us out when we needed help. You knew we were down, and the community came to us and helped, and the other surrounding communities also helped us. It is in our heart. We will always remember what Bellefonte did for us. … Thank you,” said Herbsritt.
The Bellefonte football team was able to play only its last game of the season at Rogers Stadium, since the $7 million renovation project took longer than expected. It’s funded in part by a $3 million grant, $3 million from district funds and another $1 million from the capital campaign.
The first phase of the project included the demolition of the former field, buildings and seating area and the track’s pavement and other track and field amenities, followed by installation of bleacher seating and an artificial turf field.
The second year of construction and renovations, slated to be completed in time for the 2019 football season, will include the installation of the track surface, concession stands, team locker rooms, a field house and more.
The Jeremy Herbsritt Foundation also does many other things to honor Jeremy’s legacy, such as scholarships in his name and a giving garden in Bellefonte.
For more information, visit www.thejeremyherbstrittfoundation.com.
