3 things to know
* ACLU of Ohio questioning $300,000 in public money that Attorney General Mike DeWine granted to Athletes in Action, a Christian sports organization.
* AIA planned to use the money to reach 3,700 athletes and students for training and sports camps.
* ACLU of Ohio argues that AIA actively tries to convert camp participants to Christianity.
The ACLU of Ohio is calling into question $300,000 in public money that Attorney General Mike DeWine granted to Athletes in Action, a Christian sports organization based in Xenia that operates sports camps and programs in Ohio.
Three attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sent a five-page letter to Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday urging him to restrict Athletes in Action’s use of the grant.
“This is a disgraceful use of public funds that raises a serious constitutional issue,” ALCU of Ohio Director Christine Link said in a written statement.
“The ACLU defends AIA’s right to freely operate its camps and programs with its own funds, but the state of Ohio may not participate in or finance this organization’s proselytizing activities without violating the constitution,” Link said.
Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said, “You’d think the ACLU would be aware of the fact that in Ohio, the governor has no oversight or role in how the Attorney General’s office spends money received from a settlement.”
DeWine’s office issued a statement that said the grant money will help “engage inner city youth in programs designed to combat dropping out of school, teen pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse. The Attorney General’s Office requires all grant recipients to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, including the United States Constitution.”
Jerry Dendinger, AIA’s COO and Vice President of Ministry Operations, was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
“Athletes in Action will be using the funds as they were stipulated by Mr. DeWine’s office,” said Tim Pitcher, AIA’s Communications director. “Whatever stipulations that have been set for the use of this money, we will follow.”
On July 1, DeWine announced plans to award a $300,000 grant to AIA from a pool of money settlement funds. “For more than 45 years, Athletes in Action has helped competitors of many ages. I am pleased that this grant will help them continue to serve Ohio communities through athletic programming,” DeWine said at the time. AIA planned to use the money to reach 3,700 athletes and students over two years for training and sports camps in Southwest Ohio and elsewhere.
But the ACLU of Ohio argues that AIA actively tries to convert camp participants to Christianity and participants of other faiths would be excluded from these state-funded programs. The AIA Principles state: “The Gospel applied to sport, experienced through sport, in the language of sport.”
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