Guest Blog: Marking an Odd Ten Year Anniversary
The year is moving quickly to a close but before it does, I wanted to note an odd anniversary. It was ten years ago that SNAP was the butt of the most outrageous criticism in our three decades of work.
One of the nation's most prominent southern Baptist officials, Rev. Paige Patterson called us "evil-doers" who are "just as reprehensible as sex criminals." (Patterson once headed the Southern Baptist Convention and, at the time of his remarks, was president of the denomination's flagship seminary.) - Ethics Daily 2/15/08
Think he's just some outlier? A year earlier, Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page said groups like us are "nothing more than opportunistic persons who are seeking to raise opportunities for personal gain." - Ethics Daily 4/20/07
Keep this in mind when dealing with Catholic officials. They're not necessarily the worst. And say a prayer or send a kind thought or note to Christa Brown, author of This Little Light: Beyond a Baptist Preacher Predator and his Gang, and founder of StopBaptistPredators.org, who for years courageously confronted complicit Baptist bureaucrats while compassionately listening to and helping Baptist victims. She's a real hero.
Guest blog by David Clohessy, St. Louis SNAP Leader and former SNAP National Director
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director