Letter from the President
In August 2008, I marked my 25th anniversary with The Second Mile. Why would I not have anticipated a 25-year tenure? Founding Board members who knew of my work as a psychologist sought me out because they believed that the organization, the children they were serving, and the volunteers who were mentoring them would benefit from my knowledge and experience in charting a course for The Second Mile. But when I was approached about the position in 1983, The Second Mile had been serving children for just one year through two fledgling programs reaching 31 children. I came to the interview willing to provide guidance but certain that I would choose to continue the rewarding work I was doing consulting with the schools regarding the psychological needs of children.
But surprising myself, I walked out of the meeting saying that “I would think seriously about the position.” Why? I think it was a combination of the enthusiasm and the dedication of the volunteers, their compassion for children, and the expressed commitment to excellence, innovation, and expansion to reach more youth. And having decided, “yes,” twenty-five years ago, I can say that those are the factors that have made this unexpected tenure both exciting and rewarding.
I have had the pleasure to work with great Boards and Chapters and to participate in the expansion of the organization from one serving central PA children to one serving youth and families in all 67 of the Commonwealth’s counties. I’ve experienced the satisfaction of our working together to develop many more programs, delivered directly and through school counselors to more than 100,000 youth annually. I’ve also appreciated having our collective efforts validated, both by professionals and communities (our selection by the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association as its charity of the year and by Harrisburg Magazine as its “Simply the Best” Volunteer Organization being the two most recent examples). Most significantly, I have been privileged to witness the many journeys of young people through obstacles to success, thanks to your ongoing support of Second Mile children. I thank you for that opportunity.
Dr. Jack Raykovitz
President and CEO
The Second Mile
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