Jerry Sandusky founded The Second Mile nonprofit organization in 1977 as a way to help troubled boys.
However, Sandusky’s sex abuse allegations have rocked the charity, forcing its CEO Jack Raykovitz to resign as the black cloud continues to grow.
It’s not a major surprise, as dominoes will continue to fall both at Second Mile and at Penn State for quite some time. Raykovitz was given information about Sandusky’s actions, according to the Grand Jury report, but he’s denied having extensive knowledge about the case.
Nevertheless, he thought by stepping down it would allow Second Mile to begin its rebuilding process. Sandusky had already left the organization in 2010.
Second Mile released a statement after accepting Raykovitz’s resignation in which they name David Woodle as the new leader of day-to-day operations (via official website).
Although the allegations against Jerry Sandusky and the alleged incidents occurred outside Second Mile programs and events, this does not change the fact that the alleged sexual abuse involved Second Mile program children, nor does it lessen the terrible impact of sexual abuse on its victims.
It’s going to be extremely difficult for the charity to regain trust throughout its community, especially in the short term. Even though the allegations against Raykovitz have not been proven, the organization’s reputation is what really matters, and it has taken a massive hit.
Second Mile’s financial records have also been under the microscope today with sports business guru Darren Rovell reporting the charity filed big losses last year enough though contributions topped the $1 million mark.
It’s hard to imagine financial information becoming any more promising when new numbers are released, because contributions are likely going to struggle to reach that mark again in 2011.
While it’s unfortunate a charity that was seemingly doing otherwise good work got caught up in this scandal, the future is murky. The entire organization was built on a foundation of trust and, with that destroyed, it doesn’t have a base to stand on.
Removing Raykovitz and setting up an internal investigation are both steps in the right direction, but Second Mile, like Penn State, has just started on its long, painful journey back to respectability.
