My Nonprofit Reviews

At a time when I was being ignored by everyone, The Hope of Survivors was a beacon of light that gave hope to a hopeless situation. Very few people can define what clergy sexual abuse is, let alone help you through all the levels of turmoil it creates for your life & those around you. This organization deserves recognition for the pioneering work its doing among the hurting & abused within the church that should not exist. Their understanding & the information on their website is lifesaving to say the least.

The Hope of Survivors is one of a kind! It is a much needed life support for many that find themselves in a horrible situation of being betrayed by their spiritual leader. Without this organization, their staff and volunteers, and their amazing website, many in this sad situation would find themselves without any help or support. I was a victim of pastoral sexual abuse and when it came out, I became a victim of an ignorant church that rallied around the abuser and ignored the victim. The wealth of knowledge found on their website, along with someone to talk to who understood, was what saved me from feeling like the only answer was suicide. They offer truth in the midst of so many lies and hope to what seems utterly hopeless.

I had no idea that the traumatic, devastating situation that was going on in my life had a name, clergy sexual abuse, or that anyone else was going thru what I was going thru. I was dead inside, a shell of a person, ready to end it all. My husband and I had no support, outside of our therapist, until we were told about The Hope of Survivors. Their ministry gave us life changing knowledge, support, and help that we needed so badly. It is a non profit organization that there is not enough of in this world today. This ministry is vital in the lives of so many victims out there that would otherwise be alone and without any support or help of any kind. When one suffers from clergy sexual abuse, not only are you abused by your so-called spiritual leader, but you are often times ignored and further abused by what is supposed to be your church family. Most people do not fully understand clergy sexual abuse and all its implications. The Hope of Survivors is doing the hard job of not only helping and supporting victims, but trying to educate churches, communities, and all people who will listen about what CSA really is, how to avoid it, how to deal with it, how to help....and this is all just the beginning of trying to stop it altogether.

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I had been abused by my former "pastor" for years. When it came out, someone told me about The Hope of Survivors and I went to their website where I found an incredible amount of information that immediately helped me and my husband begin to cope and deal with what had happened. There was so much help in the information we read and it gave us hope that we would survive this horrible thing. There was a conference coming up for victims of clergy sexual abuse and my husband and I went. My emotions were still very raw, but I met others who'd been through similar experiences and they'd survived, so I felt hope, and for once, I felt like there were people who really understood what I'd gone through and was still going through. Steve and Samantha were nothing but supportive, helpful and compassionate. My husband also found support in talking with other husbands going through similar experiences.
Until we came across The Hope of Survivors organization, we had no help, no support, no idea that there was anyone else out there that had gone through something like I'd gone through. We had no idea how widespread a problem it is of pastors abusing their power and authority for their own sexual gratification. Through The Hope of Survivors, we found just that....the hope of surviving...

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