FL--Orthodox educator is sentenced
For immediate release: Friday, May 1, 2015
Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of Moraga, California, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), SNAP Orthodox Director (925-708-6175, [email protected])
An Orthodox educator from Florida was sentenced yesterday to ten years in prison as the result of a plea deal. The sentence will be followed by ten years’ probation and life time registry as a sex offender.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/judge-sentences-ex-principal-to-10-years-for-sex-assault/2227724
We are glad that James Larkin will spend time behind bars. While incarcerated, he will be unable to hurt any more kids.
Now that the criminal process is complete, we beg the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) to use all of their resources to reach out to the students, faculty and volunteers who were at Saint John Greek Orthodox Day School in Tampa from 1978 to 2009, when Larkin was the principal. Since one of Larkin’s admitted victims was abused during this period of time, the Church should urge anyone who experienced, witnessed or suspected Larkin of child sexual abuse to contact the police.
We applaud the courage of the three men who reported their abuse by Larkin to law enforcement. Hopefully, their bravery will encourage other victims to speak up, report to law enforcement and begin 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 18,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, as well as those abused in other settings, such as the Boy Scouts and the military. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact: Melanie Jula Sakoda (925-708-6175 cell, [email protected]), Cappy Larson (415-637-2006 cell, cappy@rlarson.
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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