PA- “Healing is secondary,” victims say to Penn State president
For immediate release: Monday evening, Feb. 17, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of SNAP of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-862-7688, [email protected])
Already there's talk of Penn State's new president wanting or helping to “heal” the university. That's misguided.
Job one is preventing future cover ups and helping prosecutors convict the ousted school staffers who face upcoming criminal trials for their role in enabling or hiding jerry Sandusky's crimes.
Eric Barron has a simple choice. He can do nothing, and assume that justice will be done. Or he can act responsibly and use school resources and his bully pulpit to beg anyone else with information or suspicions about the crimes of Spaner, Schultz and Curley to call law enforcement immediately. (If Spaner, Schultz and Curley skate on some technicality, Barron's hopes for healing will experience a severe setback.)
After that, Barron's second job is healing those hurt by the actions and inactions of Jerry Sandusky, Graham Spaner and other now-former university staffers. Their pain – which is no doubt on-going, despite Sandkusy's conviction and civil settlements – should still be high on the university head's priority list.
Those who were directly, physically and emotionally hurt as kids take precedence over those who were indirectly upset as adults by this horrific scandal.
Then, and only then, should Barron focus on “healing” the university.
(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 15,000 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 - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 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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