Second Mile Charity Foundation in Dire Straits after Sandusky Scandal

Over the past few years, I have become quite familiar with the Second Mile Charity Foundation based out of State College, Pennsylvania. After all, there’s a big 3-page introduction about it in one of my books entitled, 101 Linebacker Drills (written by Jerry Sandusky and Cedric X. Bryant), which in a way, has become very much like a “practice bible” when it comes to designing new and effective drills to run during our football practices. At the very least, it’s a book that I continue to, and will most likely always refer to, on a weekly basis.

Today it was announced that the Second Mile, which was founded and incorporated back in 1977 and began program operations in 1982, is officially shutting down all operations in the wake of the child abuse sex scandal, which has now become synonymous with the program’s founder and former Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky.

Apparently, all of the programs are being transferred to a Texas-based youth ministry—the Arrow Child & Family Ministries Inc., which is a $36 million charity that currently operates out of Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California and Honduras.

For those of you who don’t already know, the Second Mile is (was) an organization that was designed to challenge young people to achieve their potential as individuals and community members by providing opportunities for them to develop positive life skills and self-esteem, as well as, to provide education and support for parents and professionals addressing the needs of youth.

In other words, despite the actions of founder and alleged child rapist, Jerry Sandusky, it was a great organization that was responsible for helping hundreds of thousands of kids throughout the United States.

Sadly, once the charges were laid against Sandusky, the donations shrivelled up, the volunteers backed out, and the organizations that once referred children to the programs could no longer in clear conscience continue to support the Second Mile.

As someone who once worked with troubled and at-risk youth, I am somewhat bothered that an organization such as the Second Mile will no longer exist. Then again, I can’t say that I’m all that surprised by this recent turn of events. After all, the face of the organization just might be one of the most horrific monsters in modern day history.

Maybe the demise of the Second Mile is for the best.

It would seem that regardless of what the courts decide, the communities have already spoken—Sandusky has been found guilty by his peers and nobody wants to be associated with anything that is in any way affiliated with his name.

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