Greater Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful is committed to the protection of children and advocacy and healing for the survivors of abuse by clergy and religious.

 Greater Cincinnati’s “VOICES IN ACTION”

• Cincinnati VOTF has trained volunteers to facilitate the "Stewards of Children” adult education sexual abuse prevention program.  Contact us for more information, or to schedule training: stewards@ votfcincinnati.org   

• Cincinnati VOTF joins with other faith communities and child abuse prevention organizations to promote awareness and education during April – National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

• Local VOTF members participate in national VOTF strategic planning for child protection and survivor support.

• Cincinnati VOTF members advocate for better protection of children in our church communities through dialogue, feedback, review of policies and their application in the local church community.

• Cincinnati VOTF encourages open discussion and dialogue with survivors, church leadership and other community groups to advance justice and healing for those harmed by abuse. We advocate for ongoing pastoral training in areas of abuse trauma.

Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a national and international lay Catholic movement organized in 2002 in response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. . Its mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church.

For more info:www.votf.org

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Cincinnati VOTF Coordinating Committee:

Christi Eisenberg, President

Kathy Weyer, Vice-President

Dick Okenfuss, Secretary

Frances Hofmeister

April 7, 2011                                                                                                      CONTACT:

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                            Christi Eisenberg, President

For Immediate Release                                                                                Greater Cincinnati VOTF

Blue Ribbon Vigil of Hope:

Who will speak, if you don’t?

If you don’t speak, who will?  The tragedy of childhood abuse continues unabated in our families and community. More than 1700 children died from abuse or neglect last year in the United States. During this past year over 5000 new protective services cases for the abuse and neglect of children were initiated by 241-KIDS in Hamilton County alone: five children were victims of abuse homicide. When will adults speak up for the children? April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and wearing a Blue Ribbon is a symbolic sign of solidarity and hope for ending the cycle of abuse. This Sunday we encourage all members of the community to come together to recognize the courage and resilience of those survivors and their families who have broken the silence of abuse. Wear a blue ribbon, break your silence, talk about the issue of child abuse and join others at the Blue Ribbon Vigil.

The Blue Ribbon Vigil of Hope is a way for survivors of abuse, and advocates of child abuse prevention to stand together: letting others in the community know that change must come. The silence must be broken. All adults need to be educated about how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child abuse. Our communal willingness to stand together and speak out about abuse is a visible first step in solving this tragedy that has been veiled in silence for so long. West side, east side, north and south – we all need to come together –as all neighborhoods are blighted with childhood abuse and neglect. Join your voice with ours to break the silence. 

The “Blue Ribbon Vigil of Hope”, a candlelight vigil to acknowledge the reality of this challenging problem in our community is happening this Sunday evening, April 10, 2011. ALL are invited to join in this community gathering in support of the survivors of abuse and their families. The vigil will begin at 5 PM. It is being hosted at the Arlington Memorial Gardens, 2145 Compton Road • Cincinnati, OH.

Greater Cincinnati VOTF is committed to the ongoing protection of children and healing for survivors. By utilizing public media, education, and grassroots advocacy, we strive to work together with community partners to raise public awareness and implement prevention strategies around this silent epidemic that affects nearly a quarter of our nation’s children.

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November 2, 2010                                                                                                            CONTACT:

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                              Christi Eisenberg, President

For Immediate Release                                                                                                  Greater Cincinnati VOTF

CHILD ABUSE: WHEN WILL WE MAKE IT STOP?

The horrific stories keep coming. The tragedy of young lives broken and destroyed continues:

• Dad held on $1M bond in tot's death (Cincinnati Enquirer, October 30,2010)
• Cops: Cincinnati mother did not get help for scalded child (Cincinnati.com, October 27,2010)
• “Sick Doctors: The Blankenburg Twins. Patients were groomed to be victims” (Cincinnati Enquirer, October 17,2010)
• “Prosecutor: Infidelity was motive in North Avondale ballfield stabbing: Yolanda Smith had a secret so dark she kept it for over five years. When she finally decided to reveal it to her mother last month, it cost the 24-year-old Smith her life.” (Cincinnati.com July 8, 2010)
• Stepdad, mom charged in Clermont County child's death (Cincinnati.com, June 30, 2010)
• Catholic school teacher faces more sex charges involving female students Cincinnati.com, June 22, 2010)
• Teen's sex claim leads to youth minister's firing, ( Middletown Journal, June 3, 2010)

Greater Cincinnati VOTF invites you to join us to listen, learn and take action to address the ongoing problem of child abuse in our community.

On November 7^th, Holly Schlaack, nationally recognized child advocate and author will speak at the annual VOTF meeting.  Holly is the author of Invisible Kids: Marcus Fiesel's Legacy. Holly has extensive experience advocating for abused and neglected infants and toddlers in the juvenile court system and was recently recognized by the Ohio House of Representatives for her work on behalf of vulnerable young children.  She is passionate about the importance of community response to the issues facing these children. Her presentation will include information about how community members can work together to protect a generation of kids at risk.  Join us at St. Francis de Sales School (cafeteria), 1600 Madison Road at Woodburn Avenue. Doors open at 2:00, Holly Schlaack will speak at 2:30pm, followed by discussion and a brief VOTF business meeting at 3:45pm.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information call 513-231-5271, or visit the following websites: www.votfcincinnati.org, www.invisiblekidsthebook.com

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October 25, 2010

ANNOUCEMENT

Greater Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful Members and Supporters,

• PLEASE MARK  YOUR CALENDAR AND SAVE THE DATE 
• This is advance notice of our November 7^th, 2 pm event at St. Francis De Sales Cafeteria.    Ample fenced-in parking available. 
• The afternoon features a presentation and  discussion with  Holly Schlaack, author of" Invisible Kids:  Marcus Feisel’s Legacy" . * Many of you may remember her from the early days of Cincinnati VOTF.  This will be followed by a short annual business meeting. 
• We encourage you to prayerfully ponder your willingness to serve for a year or two on the Cincinnati Steering Committee. (12 mtg/yr)  If you have an interest, please let us know so that we may add your name to the list for election during that meeting. Our  Stewards of Children** sub-committee is currently in place, and other action committees are planned.  We need your assistance and support to continue this work! 

 We look forward to seeing you there!       If you have questions, please contact the Cincinnati VOTF phone line:  513 231-5271

Notes:                                                             

* Website about Holly and her book:    http://www.invisiblekidsthebook.com/

** Oprah fans check out the program Friday, Nov. 5th…..   It’s about Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Prevention. We understand they will have 200 male survivors in the audience and share pieces of many stories.  We believe that they will be mentioning the "Stewards of Children" adult prevention program and www.d2l.org website. 

*** Check out the article in last Sunday’s Enquirer on B1.   What a good education on how perpetrators “groom” their victims.   This is the part so many don’t understand.

Best Regards,

Dick Okenfuss, Secretary

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April 30, 2010                                                                                                           CONTACT:

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                           Christi Eisenberg, President

For Immediate Release                                                                                               Greater Cincinnati VOTF

Blue Ribbon Vigil of Hope:

Silencing Silence about Child Abuse, Recognizing Victims/Survivors

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and encourage individuals and communities to support children and families. Over 6,000 reports regarding child protection concerns were made in the past year in Hamilton County alone.  It is estimated that at least one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. The majority of abused children keep silent and never disclose the abuse. Who will break the silence?

Greater Cincinnati VOTF is committed to the ongoing protection of children and healing for survivors. By utilizing public media, education, and grassroots advocacy, we strive to work together with community partners to raise public awareness and implement prevention strategies around this silent epidemic that affects nearly a quarter of our nation’s children.  We recognize the efforts of adult survivors to break the silence about abuse and support and validate their commitment to bringing a voice to these painful stories. Talking publicly about abuse is an important step in keeping other children from being harmed. Breaking the silence takes courage.

To help bring this awareness and support together in one event, we are hosting a “Blue Ribbon Vigil of Hope”, candlelight vigil to acknowledge the reality of this challenging problem in our community. ALL are invited to join in this community gathering in support of the survivors of abuse and their families. The vigil will begin at 5 PM Sunday evening April 18, 2010. It is being hosted at the Spring Grove Cemetery behind the Gwyn Mooney Funeral Home.

A Blue Ribbon is the international symbol for Child Abuse Prevention. It serves as a memorial to children who have been touched by abuse and serves as a reminder that all of us have a responsibility to keep children safe. Please wear a Blue Ribbon!

In light of the recent media coverage of abuse, we ask ALL people of all backgrounds to attend and let their voices be heard.  NOW is the time to speak out about child abuse in our families, neighborhoods, schools and faith communities.  NOW is the time to do all in our power to stop abuse everywhere in our society.  NOW is the time to change the laws, change policies and procedures, and join together in action so that abusers and those adults that hide abuse will be held accountable. We can no longer standby in silence and let our children be harmed. Join with us ---- together we CAN make a difference.

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April 10, 2010                                                                                                          CONTACT:

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                                     Christi Eisenberg, President

For Immediate Release                                                                                                         Greater Cincinnati VOTF

Advocates call on Church hierarchy:

Stop the Hiding; Start the Healing.

Greater Cincinnati Voice of the Faithful supports the position taken by VOTF National, and joins in the growing frustration and outrage of Catholics and others over the never ending reports of further child abuse, and continued cover-up by our hierarchy.

An apology is not enough. The secrecy and silence must end. The structures that favor deceptions and cover-ups must fall away in favor of transparency and accountability.

This crisis in the Catholic Church will be with us for a long time. Trust and confidence in the hierarchy has been severely damaged—and real and substantial change in our Church leadership is essential for the healing and rebuilding of our Church. Bishops and Cardinals need to admit publicly their involvement in the cover-up. Policies and procedures need to be changed at all levels of church administration.

Good Friday is a day of sorrow for the Catholic Church. On this solemn day, we stand in solidarity with victims of clergy abuse and call on all members of our Catholic faith community to reach out to survivors, and to advocate for better protection of our children. We encourage all members of our Church community to join with us in prayer and penance. We call on all in our faith community, including the many good and faithful priests and religious, to join their voices with ours as we call on our Catholic Church hierarchy to “Stop the Hiding; Start the Healing.” 

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PRESS RELEASE                                                               

December 30, 2009

Clergy abuse victims and advocates praise local priest who died this Christmas Eve.

Statement by Daniel Frondorf of Cincinnati, Cincinnati chapter leader of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and Kathy Weyer, for the Coordinating Committee of Greater Cincinnati VOTF, Voice of the Faithful.

With deep sadness, the members of SNAP and VOTF mourn the loss of one of the finest priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Fr. Mark Schmieder, who passed away on Dec. 24, 2009 after a several month battle with cancer.

Fr. Mark was an active member of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), and an integral part of the local Cincinnati VOTF Coordinating Committee. As a staunch advocate for those harmed by the church clergy, he was a person who was willing to “walk the walk” and confront the injustices within the church organization, especially in regards to the lack of outreach to victims of abuse.  In 2007 he was nominated by local VOTF members and recognized as a “priest of integrity” by the VOTF organization.

Fr. Mark was committed to the ongoing education of clergy regarding the issues of abuse trauma and child abuse prevention.  In 2008 he spoke to his fellow priests at the Cincinnati diocesan annual convocation, encouraging them to be open to learning about and reaching out pastorally to those impacted by abuse trauma.

He was a companion and supporter of clergy abuse victims and survivors in the local and national SNAP networks. He repeatedly reached out to survivors in their time of suffering and as they struggled for justice. He bravely offered his words and presence to advocate for changes in the legal system to better protect children and provide avenues for adult survivors to seek justice during legislative hearings in the Ohio House and Senate at  Columbus, OH in 2005 and 2006.

In so many ways Mark gave of himself to empower and encourage others in their life's journey. He was the founder and an instrumental figure in the ongoing success of the St Francis-St Joseph Catholic Worker House, a homeless shelter for men. In 2008 he served as president of the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association. As a  long time jail chaplain and minister to the homeless and imprisoned, Mark was familiar with the insidious long term consequences of physical and sexual abuse and worked tirelessly to offer hope and help to those disenfranchised and downtrodden in our Cincinnati community, especially in the Over the Rhine neighborhood.

SNAP and VOTF members are tremendously grateful for Mark’s courage and compassion.

Mark was an exemplary and rare priest – capable, willing, and unafraid to comfort troubled clergy abuse victims, and a vocal advocate for compassionate outreach, education and change within the Catholic Church and larger community. We will miss his humility and his outreach to those forgotten by society. Mark was the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and many can learn from his example of compassion for the least of his brothers.

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