Jerry Sandusky's Charity Loses CEO

The fallout from the arrest of Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky on charges of sexual abuse continues. Today, the charity Sandusky founded is affected by the charges. Dr. Jack Raykovitz, the CEO of The Second Mile, officially resigned as the head of the charity. In a statement issued on the charity’s website, The Second Mile Board of Directors said both the Board and Dr. Raykovitz felt that it was in the best interest of the organization for him to step down. David Woodle, the current Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, will take over for Dr. Raykovitz.

The scandal

Jerry Sandusky is a former football coach at Penn State University, where he coached for 30 years, from 1969-1999.  Starting in 1977, he was the defensive coordinator.

Earlier this month, Sandusky was arrested and charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year period.  He allegedly had sexual relations with young boys. According to CNN, he met his alleged victims through the Second Mile charity.

ESPN.com reports that Sandusky informed The Second Mile board in November 2008 that he was under investigation. The charity subsequently barred him from activities involving children.

The charity

Jerry Sandusky founded The Second Mile in 1977. It was founded in State College, Pennsylvania, where Penn State University’s main campus is located.  On its website, the mission statement reads, “The Second Mile challenges 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 by providing education and support for parents and professionals addressing the needs of youth.”

The charity is meant to help underprivileged youth. According to ESPN.com, the Second Mile serves as many as 100,000 children a year.  The Second Mile website says it has seven chapters and one affiliate across the state of Pennsylvania. These are set up by volunteers to promote the Second Mile’s programs and services. 

Cbssports.com says that Dr. Raykovitz was a practicing psychologist and had been the leader of the charity for 28 years. In a statement on CNN.com, he said "I hope that my resignation brings with it the beginning of that restoration of faith in the community of volunteers and staff that, along with the children and families we serve, are The Second Mile."

Regarding the future of the organization - now that its founder has been accused of sexual abuse of children and its leader of 28 years has resigned - CNN.com wrote, “Saying the "safety and well-being of the children" is central to its mission, the board announced it will conduct an internal investigation and make "recommendations regarding the organization's future operations. We hope to have those findings by the end of December."