The 35-year-old charity Jerry Sandusky created to help at-risk children, The Second Mile, announced Friday that it is planning to shut down and transfer its programs to Arrow Child & Family Ministries.
The organization requested court approval for the transfer, according to a statement posted on The Second Mile's website.
After Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, was charged with 52 counts of child sexual abuse of children he met through the charity, The Second Mile found that there was support for the programs they provided, but there was not enough financial support from volunteers, and referring social service agencies "to continue The Second Mile as its own entity," according to the statement.
Second Mile Interim CEO David Woodle said the organization is proud that its work will be able to continue even after it shuts its doors.
"While we are sad that The Second Mile will not continue running programs, we are heartened that the important work of helping children - and their families - reach their full potential will go on," Woodle said.
The decision to transfer the Second Mile's assets to Arrow came after discussions with more than 15 other organizations, but it was chosen because of its "background in dealing with children and families in crisis and its current presence in Pennsylvania," according to the statement.
Arrow Child & Family Ministries is a Christian organization that helps children who have been removed from their homes because of neglect or abuse and helps them "achieve their greatest potential," according to the statement.
Attorneys for The Second Mile submitted a petition Friday in the Court of Common Pleas of Centre County, Orphans' Court Division, with the details of the transfer of programs and are awaiting approval for the transfer and to dissolve, according to the statement.
The Second Mile plans to transfer $2 million in cash assets, a program endowment and program-related non-cash entities to Arrow, according to the statement. During this process, some of the organization's programs will still continue, such as the summer Challenge Camps and Foster family support programs.
"As we undertake this next step, as always, our primary concern is with the children we serve and all those affected by these events," Woodle said.
Despite its plans to shut down, The Second Mile will continue as a "legal entity" and will cooperate with all investigations, according to the statement.
