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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

SNAP Press Releases
Giving Voice to Victims


For immediate release:
Thursday Feb. 6, 2003

For more information:
David Clohessy of St. Louis, National Director (314) 566-9790 cell
Mark Serrano of Leesburg VA, Board Member (703) 771-9606, 703 727 4940 cell
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, President (312) 399-4747 cell

Sex Abuse Victims Start 35 New Support Groups

SNAP Tops 4,500 Members In 44 Active Chapters

The nation's largest support group for clergy molestation victims grew "like wild fire" last year and now has 44 active monthly support groups meeting across the country.

The Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) started 2002 with less than 3,000 members and 9 active local chapters. The organization now has more than 4,500 members in virtually every state, and monthly support group meetings in 44 cities.

Last year, new SNAP support groups formed in 35 cities, including Seattle, Denver, Tampa, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Sacramento, San Diego, Houston, and Portland, OR.

Chapters currently being organized include Orlando, Detroit, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Buffalo, Dallas and Sitka, Alaska.

SNAP began 2002 with groups that met sporadically became re-invigorated and started to meet more regularly. They include Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and New York City.

"Our self-help groups provide a safe, confidential and independent place for hurting men and women to recover from this traumatic childhood pain," said Terrie Light, a San Francisco social worker and one of SNAP's founding members. "Through our support groups, individual survivors learn they are no longer alone. They learn coping and recovery strategies and become empowered to break their silence, report their abuse to the proper authorities, and protect others at risk."

Roughly 98% of its members are survivors, 2% are family members. More than 90% were victimized by Catholic clergy (brothers, bishops, nuns, priests, and seminarians), the rest by Protestant clergy.

The overwhelming majority of victims who contact SNAP hear about the group first through the news media. Others learn about SNAP through the web site www.survivorsnetwork.org or their therapist.

Survivors needing to someone fluent in Spanish can call Rita Milla, 310 834 7033, [email protected], Carlos Perez-Carillo, 818-269-1221, [email protected]
or Sonia Rubino at [email protected].

_____
New SNAP support groups formed in 2002 include:
Arizona (Phoenix) - Paul Pfaffenberger, 480-600-7811, [email protected]
California (Glendale) - Steven Sanchez, 818-262-6540, [email protected]
California (Long Beach) - Mary Ferrell, , 626-835-9066, [email protected]
California (Sacramento) - Mike Beam, 916-709-1148, [email protected]
California (San Diego) - Mark Brooks, 800-233-3182 ext. 117, [email protected]
California (Ventura County) - Manny Vega, 805-207-9027, [email protected]
California (San Jose) - Ray Peltier, 408-205-8876, [email protected]
California (Santa Rosa) - Don Hoard, 707-763-9366, [email protected]
Colorado (Denver) - Connie Ross, 303-988-4500, [email protected]
Colorado (Boulder)- Marnie Williams, 303-550-9062, [email protected]
Delaware - Gabi Lindtner, 302-377-6985, 302-832-2994, Joan Dougherty, [email protected]
District of Columbia - Bridget Lyons, 301-879-7317, [email protected]
Florida (Tampa-St. Pete) - Melissa Price, 727-844-9960, [email protected]
Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale) - Judy Rakestraw, 305-926-5858, [email protected]
Kansas (Wichita) - Janet Patterson, 620 456 2330, [email protected]
Louisiana (New Orleans) - Lyn Hayward, 985-630-6638, [email protected]
Maryland (Baltimore) - Martin Menton, 410-707-1954, [email protected]
Massachusetts (Norwood) - John Harris, 781-551-8048, [email protected], Robert Costello, 617-306-4785, [email protected]
Massachusetts (Natick) - Ann Hagan Webb, 781-239-1182, [email protected]
Massachusetts (Worcester) - Bryan Smith, 978-928-4721, [email protected]
Massachusetts (Fitchburg) - Bryan Smith, 978-928-4721, [email protected]
Michigan (Grand Rapids and Detroit) - Steven Kelly, 616-868-0324, [email protected]
Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - Mike Wegs 612-823-4576, [email protected] and Belinda Martinez, 651-773-0607, [email protected]
New York (Utica) - Joyce Nebush, 315-896-2481, [email protected]
New York (Syracuse) - Joyce Nebush, 315-896-2481, [email protected]
New Jersey (Mendham) - Pat Serrano, 973-543-4249, [email protected]
New Jersey (Cherry Hill) - Barbara Polesir, 856-424-4827, [email protected]
North Carolina (Raleigh) - Marigrace Labella, 919-418-2869, [email protected]
Ohio (Toledo) - Claudia Vercellotti, 419-382-7373, [email protected]
Oregon (Portland) - Bill Crane, 503-698-4584, [email protected]
Pennsylvania (Allentown) - Juliann Bortz, 610-432-2895, [email protected]
Texas (Houston) - Miguel Prats, 713-554-5732, [email protected],
Washington (Seattle) - Tom Keenan, 425-776-0602, [email protected]
Washington (Spokane) - Molly Harding, 509-991-8834, 509-466-1877, [email protected]
Wisconsin (Racine) - Jon Gillespie, 847-710-9989, [email protected]

More well-established SNAP groups have added new spokespeople who include:
California (San Francisco) - Paul Hessinger, 510-727-1872, [email protected]
California (Orange County and Los Angeles) - Lee Bashforth, 949-735-8347, [email protected]
Illinois (Chicago) - Don Robinson, 847-356-7703, [email protected]
Massachusetts (Boston) - Ann Hagan Webb 781-239-1182, [email protected]
Missouri (Kansas City) - Mike Hunter, 913-648-3365, [email protected]
Missouri (St. Louis) - Steve Pona, 314-369-8687, [email protected]
New York (NYC) - David Cerulli, 917-757-1791, [email protected]
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) - John Salveson, 610-525-2678, [email protected]
Wisconsin (Milwaukee) - Mark Salmon, 414-774-4350, [email protected]

Chapters being organized currently include:
Alaska (Sitka) - James Weis, 907-747-4862, [email protected]
Florida (St. Augustine) - Jeannie Moore, 904-461-9058, [email protected]
Florida (Orlando) - Richard Heinkel, 407-228-4038, [email protected]
Massachusetts (Springfield) - Mark Furnish, 518-366-5842, [email protected]
Michigan (Detroit) - Claudia Vercellotti, 419-382-7373, [email protected] and Steven Kelly, 616-868-0324, [email protected]
Mississippi (Hattiesburg) - Mark Belenchia, 601-818-3003, [email protected]
Nevada (Las Vegas) - Debbie Tullgren, 702-568-6337, [email protected]
New Jersey (Pennsauken) - Victoria Cubberley, [email protected]
New York (Albany, Buffalo, Rochester) - Joyce Nebush, 315-896-2481, [email protected]
Ohio (Cleveland) - Bennie Pacheco, 440-935-7029, [email protected]
Texas (Dallas) - Kris Galland, 817-329-0599, [email protected]
Wisconsin (Green Bay) - Larry Pierquet, 920-897-4918, [email protected]
Wisconsin (Madison) - Patti Merchant, 414-224-0880, [email protected]


In other states, SNAP has named coordinators or spokespersons. In most of these, no local SNAP groups currently meet, but may be organized in the future. They include:
Arizona (Tucson) - Anne Keshishian, 520-229-9315, [email protected]
California (San Bernardino) - Jim Falls, 949-291-5795, [email protected]
Idaho (Idaho Falls) - Tim McKenna, 208-524-4087, [email protected]
Indiana (South Bend) - Lois Myers, 574-289-8579, [email protected]
Iowa (Des Moines) - John Chambers, 515-993-6820, [email protected]
Kentucky (Louisville) - Gerald Payne, 888-888-8876, [email protected]
Maine (Portland) - Cyndi DesRosiers, 207-622-4075, [email protected]
Michigan (Flint) - Colleen Ptak, 810-733-3579, [email protected]
Mississippi (Canton) - Susan Cannon, 601-856-5044, [email protected]
Missouri (Springfield-Branson) - Phil Pisciotta, 417-546-5861, [email protected]
New Jersey (Camden) - Peter Pfister, 863-666-2159, [email protected]
New York (Albany) - Mark Furnish, 518-366-5842, [email protected]
North Carolina - Neil Evans, 828-299-3972, [email protected]
Ohio (Cincinnati) - Dr. Michael Hancock, 513-309-8038, [email protected]
Rhode Island (Providence) - Phyllis Hutnak, 401-368-1680, [email protected]
Virginia (Norfolk) - Annette Dickerson, 757-963-8937, [email protected]

 




Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org