VA- Ex-school board head abused in Virginia; SNAP responds
For immediate release: Thursday, June 5, 2014
Statement by Becky Ianni. Virginia director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (703-801-6044, [email protected])
A former school board chairman and federal employee has been indicted on 111 felony charges related to the sexual abuse of four children in Stafford, Virginia.
We applaud the federal authorities and the Stafford County Sheriff’s office for their efforts in bringing Thomas Francis Villacres to justice. Without their efforts, he may never have been exposed and countless children might still be in danger.
Villacres, who currently lives in Florida, is a former teacher and Army officer. We urge the Stafford School system to reach out to other possible victims. We fear that Villacres may have either committed or concealed child sex crimes in the school district.
According to a news report, he was also involved in St. William of York Catholic Church. We are worried that there might be other victims suffering in silence. We hope that Bishop Paul Loverde and the Arlington Catholic Diocese will use all their resources including the diocesan newspaper, church bulletins, and pulpit to encourage other possible victims to come forward to the authorities. We also hope that Loverde will personally visit each parish where Villacres spent time and beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to contact law enforcement immediately.
Our heart goes out to these brave victims. We hope anyone who saw, suspects or suffered child sexual abuse by Villacres will call police, get help and start healing.
(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 (314-503-0003 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
Showing 1 comment