IL- Clergy sex abuse group marks 25th anniversary
For immediate release: Wednesday, July 23, 2014
For more information: David Clohessy (314-566-9790, [email protected])
Clergy sex abuse victims hold 25th anniversary conference in Chicago
Group celebrates 25 years of “growth, healing, justice and prevention”
Speakers include Pulitzer prize winner and noted St. Paul whistleblower
The world's largest and oldest support group for men and women sexually abused as children will be celebrating its 25th anniversary at a Chicago conference August 1.
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org), was founded in Chicago in 1988 by clergy abuse survivor Barbara Blaine. What started as an informal group of survivors is now a global network, with support group meetings in 65 US cities and members in 79 countries.
SNAP has become the leading voice in the fight against sexual abuse in religious and institutional settings, with leaders continually quoted as experts by the global media on the topics of abuse, cover-up and healing. The group's advocacy on behalf of survivors has exposed abuse and cover-up around the world, including the Vatican.
The SNAP Annual Conference will bring together experts in the area of clergy sex crimes, law enforcement, psychology, health, healing, advocacy, and research. This event attracts hundreds of survivors and supporters from the US, Canada, South America, Africa and Europe.
“This is a huge year for us,” said Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP’s outreach director. “It's not often that survivors can celebrate a victory like a 25th anniversary of protecting the vulnerable and healing the wounded. Our goals are to make sure that we come together to learn, celebrate, and kick off another successful 25 years.”
The event will be held August 1-3 at Hyatt McCormick Place, 2233 South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Chicago, IL.
Speakers include:
Justice Anne Burke, Illinois Supreme Court Justice
Jennifer Haselberger, canon lawyer and whistleblower
Jason Berry, award-winning journalist and author
Vincent Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights
Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Regional Director
Kiera Feldman, investigative journalist
Boz Tchividjian, Founder and Executive Director of GRACE: Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment and former child abuse prosecutor
Michael D’Antonio, Pulitzer-prize winning author
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact – Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]
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
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