Yes, Penn State and The Second Mile overlapped in many ways. Penn State grad students wrote essays for the charity's annual reports. Second Mile kids participated in programs on the university campus. And companies controlled by Second Mile board members scored juicy contracts from Penn State. Earlier today, we revealed that Poole Anderson, the construction company run by Second Mile chairman Bob Poole, made $25 million off the school in 2009 and 2010. Poole Anderson wasn't the only one.
Penn State paid Leonard S. Fiore, another family-owned local construction business, $28,373,655 in 2008 and 2009, according to the "Right to Know Reports" the school is required to file. Michael Fiore, a managing partner for Leonard S. Fiore, has been on The Second Mile's state board of directors for the last two years.
Some of the Penn State-related projects Fiore's company has worked on: a PSU research center, a PSU-owned community arts center, an addition to the Pattee Library, the Sarni tennis facility, and a little building called the Bryce Jordan Center:
Again, don't read conspiracy into this. Just be mindful that when you're talking about The Second Mile, you're also talking about Penn State—from the people involved to the dollars circulating through central Pennsylvania.