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COMMENTARY
PROVIDING the MUSCLE
[VOTF president Mary Pat Fox
made the following comment after attending the New
York “Call to Action” gathering on Sept.
25. See details on page 1 of this issue.]
The heart of what needs to happen on behalf of survivors
lies with the survivors themselves, but the muscle
will come from VOTF.
I attended a meeting on Tuesday, September 25, 2007
at Cardozo Law School in New York City launching the
campaign for New York’s coalition to drive legislation
extending statutes of limitations for child sex abuse
and a one-year window. Voice of the Faithful had a
great turnout, especially considering that the meeting
was at 11 am on a work day.
The day led off with a media event hosted by Marci
Hamilton. Attendees heard from State Senator Karen
Peterson, who led the charge in the Delaware Legislature,
and from New York State Assemblywoman Marge Markey.
We also heard from several survivors, including Matt
Conaty, the survivor whose family led the coalition
in Delaware. We heard from a survivor of family abuse,
and several others who had been abused by clergy. The
agenda was fantastic and everyone present learned something
new.
Following the main meeting, Barbara Blaine of SNAP
called a meeting for anyone who could stay and wanted
to work on getting this legislation passed. The team
that committed to continuing the work and to meeting
every month consisted overwhelmingly of VOTF members.
Everyone in the room committed to begin the process
by either contacting legislators or potential coalition
member organizations. It was clear to me that one key
to the success of this effort will be having the survivors
touch the hearts of legislators while the public and
VOTF provide the muscle to get it done.
If you are interested in helping with this effort,
contact Bob Kristan at BobKristan@msn.com.
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