Terry Heights Elementary School is pictured in a January file photo. Second Mile Development, a Christian nonprofit, has made the Huntsville school district an offer on the vacant building. (The Huntsville Times)I have been in a state of shock, shame and disgust since the story broke of Penn State's complicity in covering for a pedophile. It's like rubber necking at the scene of a car accident, I can't stand to watch the news coverage, but I can't not watch the news coverage. Everyday there is some new, disgusting, detail of the cover up of Jerry Sandusky's alleged raping of young boys under the umbrella of Penn State University and The Second Mile Charity.
It was the mention of The Second Mile Charity on MSNBC which got me thinking.....where have I heard that name before....then it hit me...we have a Second Mile non profit right here in Huntsville,AL.
Although the two non-profits are not affiliated in any way they happen to have similar names, organizational structure, and Mission Statements.
Huntsville, AL
Second Mile desires to empower the community where the hopeless can find hope; where children can find love and laughter, where young men and women can look to the future with pride and eager anticipation rather than with fear and dread; where men and women of all ages can discover the depth and the breadth of Christ's love.
The ultimate dream of Second Mile is to bring about, through Christ, reconciliation between all people: the rich and poor, the educated and uneducated, the fortunate and less fortunate.
Pennsylvania
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 Huntsville Second Mile is about to enter into an agreement with The Huntsville City School Board, in another step towards privatization of the school system. Once again funneling public money to private entities. Emphasis mine.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- More than two years after shuttering Terry Heights Elementary School, the Huntsville school board appears to have a buyer for the empty building..
Bill McDowell, executive director of Second Mile Development, confirmed Tuesday that the Christian nonprofit has made an offer for the 48,000-square-foot building.
"We're excited about our offer," McDowell said. "We'll be scared and excited if they accept it."
The district seemed to have accepted the offer last week, when approval of the $575,000 contract was placed on the school board's meeting agenda. But the contract was pulled before the meeting.
The reason for the retraction wasn't clear, but Aaron King, transition director for Superintendent Casey Wardynski, said the details were still being negotiated as late as last week.
"It could be that the terms are still not yet finalized," King said Tuesday.
Laurie McCaulley, president of the board, said negotiations ae still ongoing but that the contract should come back to the board for approval soon.
The contract, as written last week, included a payment of $200,000 upon closing and five years of in-kind services that Second Mile would provide to five of the district's schools
5 years of in-kind services?
The services, valued in the contract at $75,000 a year, would be provided at Ridgecrest, McDonnell, Morris and University Place elementaries and Westlawn Middle.
Uh, why can't the school system and the city of Huntsville provide these services?
McDowell said the nonprofit aims to form a partnership with about a dozen churches and charitable organizations. The partners would, in turn, team with the surrounding neighborhood to determine how the school would be used.
"Everything's on the table that could be done," McDowell said. "The property lends itself to a lot of opportunities."
The possibilities already discussed include an afternoon art program for teens, various sports programs, an urban gardening center, gardening and nutrition classes, a health clinic and more, McDowell said.
I am vehemently opposed to this proposal in light of the crimes surrounding non profits, churches and disadvantaged youth.
Like Bishop Long with his Youth Academy, Sandusky allegedly used his own children's charity program, The Second Mile, which focused on assisting poor, underprivileged kids, many of whom came from single-parent homes and were struggling in school -- to find his prey. Using his money, fame and the lure of access to prized football facilities and games that any young boy could only dream of, Sandusky likely perverted the mission of the charity by making it a breeding ground for his targets.
The motto of the program, originally founded by Sandusky in 1977, is "Providing Children with Help and Hope"; but the gruesome details of the grand jury report released this week reveal something so damning it rivals the actions of notorious Catholic priests engaged in the highest betrayal. As Stuart Scott, anchor of ESPN's SportsCenter, opined last night, "Short of murder, these allegations are as serious as it gets."
To be clear, I'm not saying Second Mile Huntsville has done anythig wrong, or will do anything wrong, I'm just saying if Terry Heights is turned into an after school center it should be a public endeavor, under public control and accountable to the people, not a board of directors. After all, it's our money.
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