SNAP – Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests
St. Louis Chapter of SNAP
Contact: Barbara Dorris, Local Leader
Phone: 314-503-0003
Email: snapdorris@gmail.com Click here to listen to Barbara Dorris’ story recorded in the Chicago StoryCorps booth
Contact: Mary Ellen Kruger, Local Leader
Phone: 314-962-0964
Email: MEK1234567@gmail.com
Support Group Meetings: Meets regularly. Please call Barb for specifics.
Safe Connections
2165 Hampton Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63139
Directions to 2165 Hampton Avenue (Google Map)
Phone Numbers
24-Hour Crisis Helpline 314.531.2003
Main Office Number 314.646.7500
Main Fax Number 314.646.8181
TTY 314.646.0505
Business Hours
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sunday Closed
Our Mission
The mission of Safe Connections is to reduce the impact and incidence of relationship violence and sexual assault through education, crisis intervention, counseling and support services.
Agency Overview
Safe Connections is proud to be one of the St. Louis region’s oldest and largest organizations working to prevent and end domestic and sexual violence while helping survivors reclaim their lives. Our services in prevention education, crisis intervention and counseling make a big difference for families and the health of our community.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization and was named one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth magazine. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org) in partnership with more than 1,100 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. In 2015, the Online Hotline expanded to offer services in Spanish at rainn.org/es. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.
GRACE – Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment
With over 60 million child abuse survivors nationwide, we are a country riddled with abuse and the effects of it. Too often, those within the Church have been uninformed about the complexities of child abuse. This has compounded its damaging effects on individuals, families, and faith communities with inappropriate and even negligent responses to signs and disclosures of abuse. Our collective failure as Christians to properly care for the most innocent and vulnerable among us has often been staggering.
As followers of Jesus Christ, the GRACE team seeks to be faithful and obedient to his teaching and the teachings of the whole of Scripture, which we believe put great value in the compassionate care and advocacy for children.
He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
-Mark 9:36-37 (NIV)
We believe that our care of children—our “welcoming” of them among us—is a direct reflection of our love for and obedience to God. Whatever we do for children, is done for him.
We hope to equip others with a vision for authentic responsibility, accountability, and compassion in the care for children and adult survivors of abuse. Though the history of the Church can make this approach seem radical, we believe it is nothing more and nothing less than the fulfillment of Jesus’ teaching.
We believe with proper education and training every church and ministry organization can navigate its responsibility to appropriately care for those who have been impacted by abuse.
