Sex abuse lawsuit brought against Moose CEO
A South Carolina-based doctor announced Thursday allegations of childhood sexual abuse and a lawsuit against the head of Moose International.
In a civil suit filed Thursday, Jason Peck, now a 44-year-old physician in Fort Hill, S.C., alleges that William B. Airey sexually abused him as a child.
Airey is director general and CEO of the Loyal Order of the Moose and Moose International, which is headquartered on the Mooseheart campus on Route 31 north of North Aurora. The lawsuit does not make any allegations related to Mooseheart.
According to the suit, in 1980, when Peck was 12-years-old, Airey began “grooming” Peck and sexually abused him on two occasions when Peck was a minor living in Ohio. The suit alleges that on both occasions, the abuse happened when Airey took Peck to Moose-related functions.
“When he (Peck) was a child William Airey was his neighbor and befriended him in the Columbus (Ohio) suburbs,” said Konrad Kircher, attorney for Peck. “He would give him gifts, take him to the Moose Lodge in Whitehall (Ohio), and buy him alcoholic drinks, then sexually abuse him in the Columbus area.”
At the time of the alleged abuse, Airey was a Moo...
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