Spring 2022
We hope your 2022 has been off to a healthy and happy start! We're glad you're connected with us and hope this April edition of our newsletter will give you some energy and ideas as we recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Reclaiming Easter and Speaking Out – Recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month! This year, SNAP will be recognizing April by leading our #ReclaimEaster campaign, headlined by a Survivor-Centered Easter Egg Hunt in Pennsylvania on April 16, and by hosting another Survivor Speak Out with our friends from The Army of Survivors on April 13.
Check out this blog post for more information on how you get involved with SNAP and help recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Returning to an In-Person Conference – July 22-24, Denver CO
We're finally returning to in-person events after a two year hiatus and hope you are excited to join us! Register today for the SNAP Annual Conference, held this year in Denver, CO from July 22 through July 24.
Join us for sessions from folks like Mitch Garabedian, Tom Doyle, and Anne Barrett Doyle + Terry McKiernan from Bishop Accountability, expert witness and UCLA professor Dr. Paul Abramson, attorney and advocate Terry Gross, and Sarah Pearson, Deputy Director of Nate's Mission.
We're running discounted registration through the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so register today for the entire weekend for only $100.
Expanding Our Reach - New SNAP Groups Launched and New Leaders Onboarded
We are thrilled to announce the launch of new support groups to better serve our survivor audience! We have recently launched a support group that is open to any member of the LGBTQ+ community that wants a safe space to discuss healing from sexual abuse with other folks in their community. This new group is being led by Bobby Sas, and if you are interested in joining this group, please contact Bobby directly.
We have also expanded our Women’s Group and added a second group focused on women outside the United States. This new group has a new time to better accommodate the many European survivors who have found healing in Janet’s women’s group. We are grateful to Janet Klinger for her excellent stewardship of these groups, if you are interested in joining please email Janet directly.
We are also grateful to the new SNAP Leaders we have brought on board and are excited for the energy and advocacy they will bring to their local areas. Please help us welcome Tim Schlenz from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Jim Brigl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Dan Powroznik in Indianapolis, IN, and Eric Bonetti who focuses on abuse in the Anglican Church.
Recordings from our March Mini-Conference now available!
Recordings of our first quarterly mini conference for 2022 are now available on our YouTube channel. Our YouTube playlist has the recordings of the informative talks from our friends Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran of The Army of Survivors and Tim Law from Ending Clergy Abuse, along with a relaxing trauma informed meditation from Jamuna Rosner.
Click here to access the recordings and share them with others you think may benefit.
SNAP Leaders in the News
- “The sentencing of this rapist is due to the courage of a young victim who reported to the police,” Susan Vance said. “SNAP of Tennessee stands with her in this fight for justice."
- “We have seen these tactics in dioceses throughout the country,” said Michael McDonnell, who was abused by two Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests when he was between the ages of 11 and 12. “This allows plaintiffs attorneys to do deeper dives. It gives hope to the victims that the judge is not siding with every motion that the diocese is tossing out to protect its reputation as well as assets.”
- David Clohessy of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said the group filed a "lengthy, detailed" complaint with the Vatican office, commonly known as "Vos Estis," that investigates abuse or cover-ups by bishops.
- In a letter addressed to President Biden on Monday, February 28th, the Keep Kids Safe Coalition, of which SNAP is a proud member, deemed sexual violence against children and adolescence a top public health emergency. According to the Coalition, 1 in 10 children in the United States will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. The increasing rate of incidents of sexual violence against children creates long-lasting physical and psychological trauma for survivors, that also translates into tremendous economic costs for society.
Thanks for being a part of our movement!
Your friends at SNAP
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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