Why aren't more questions being asked about The Second Mile?

Genovese and Raykovitz

Within Penn State and Happy Valley there is a desire to ‘move on’ from all the revelations of what Jerry Sandusky and top Penn State officials did/did not do over the past 15 years.  But alas there are too many questions hanging out there.   In my recent conversations with leaders in the public, private, non-profit and academic sectors within Centre County,  I’ve encountered a multitude living with a low-grade fear that more bombshells are coming.  Dread that the story will get even uglier.  Considering how vile the truth has been so far, it’s not surprising the level of anxiety in Happy Valley.

One thing the university can point to with pride is turning out graduates like Sara Ganim.  This former journalism student continues to do yeoman’s work on the Penn State Scandal as a reporter for the Harrisburg Patriot News. 

Her recent five part series is finally turning significant attention to The Second Mile, Sandusky’s charity.  Even more so, the questionable decisions of it’s executive leadership as well as Board of Directors.

• The charity was run by the husband and wife team of Jack Raykovitz and Katherine Genovese, but some board members didn’t know they were married and others say they were put off by their closed management style and lack of transparency.
• Contrary to reports and statements from Genovese that Sandusky retired, Ganim reports that Raykovitz forced Sandusky to resign in 2010 after allegations regarding his behavior in 2009.
• Second Mile’s leaders kept most of the board and other key staff out of the loop on the Sandusky investigation, according to some board members.
• According to Bonnie Marshall, who was Second Mile’s development director, Raykovitz acknowledged that he had been informed by Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley about allegations against Sandusky in 2001. Marshall says that Raykovitz’s response was, “At that point, I didn’t particularly want to know any more and he didn’t volunteer anything else.”
• A Children and Youth Services official informed Genovese that she needed to sever a relationship with Second Mile because of the situation with Sandusky. According to “several people with knowledge of that conversation,” Ganim writes, Genovese responded by telling the official that, “We’ve had to tell him to back off certain kids before.”
• Although replacement CEO Woodle had indicated that the Abraham investigation “would bring answers that board members, employees and the community longed for,” Abraham was reportedly redirected to focus “on whether the charity could move forward.” The result has been a plan to close down and shift the assets to Arrow Child and Family.

Yes, there are rumors about Sandusky's involvement in a wider pedophile ring.  And yes, we've heard some of the rumors connecting that ring to members of the Penn State Board Of Trustees.   We know there are Federal investigations going on.  The Feds tend to be very tight lipped until they're ready to go to a Grand Jury.

Remember, this story only broke because Sandusky finally went outside the State College cocoon and molested a boy in Clinton County.   For the civic leaders in Centre County, anxiety may represent wisdom.  Things may get worse....much, much worse