Instead, White encouraged Neugebauer to forgive Newman and to protect the camp without calling the authorities, according to Neugebauer. The investigation by law enforcement that resulted in the prosecution of Pete Newman did not result in any criminal or civil charges against Kanakuk leadership or staff. Our Kanakuk Child Protection Plan, which contains over 340 identifiable and measurable protective elements, is integrated throughout our organization and has been shared with more than 600 youth-serving organizations across the country. In They Arent Who You Think They Are, David and I detailed Kanakuk leaderships awareness of a series of incidents in which Newman was nude with children. Over a decade later, in early Spring 2021, an anonymous Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) was created and it, along with several bloggers and authors launched a coordinated attack against Kanakuk. Survivor advocates also say that the consequences are still playing out today. Reed Martens, another one of Yandell's attorneys with the law firm Monsees and Mayer, said Yandell feels it is important to speak out against Kanakuk's handling of sexual abuse cases despite the 2010 non-disclosure agreement. On Monday night, when he and other survivors of childhood sexual abuse testified at a public hearing of the Missouri House Judiciary Committee, Hoffpauir said hes come to believe there was someone else responsible: Camp leadership, including Kanakuk CEO Joe White, who remains in charge. We have endured child sexual abuse, extortion, silencing, physical abuse, harassment, aggressive legal tactics, public denial of said abuses, and much more, all at the hands of Kanakuk Ministries and its affiliated entities, and all while under your familys leadership. More:Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades. These conversations left him with a distinctively negative impression. This lawsuit is being filed to hold Kanakuk accountable, and to give Logan and potentially other victims and survivors their voices back.. Im sure Kanakuk was heeding the advice of lawyers and insurance companies, but Im disappointed because Joe hasnt owned his mistakes.. After Newmans confession, Neugebauer contacted Kanakuk leadership. Ashton, 11, dressed in a green hat and gray . How many victims have to die before the camp is held accountable? Kanakuk set out to become an industry leader on the issue of abuse when it launched its own child protection program after Newman's case. said Newmans victim count might be in the hundreds. And, according to media reports and survivor accounts, Kanakuk has been affiliated with known abusers beyond Newman. All rights reserved. Neugebauer noted that White did not have what he perceived to be the normal reactions of a person learning of the abuse for the first time, because White did not want to involve law enforcement. This list places Kanakuk alongside such behemoths as Reddit, Google, Netflix, and Twitter (ironically, a platform the NCOSE uses) as a mainstream entity for facilitating, enabling, and profiting from abuse and exploitation this is simply not true and defies any semblance of common sense. @Kanakuk, acknowledge your complacency in the sexual abuse that went on in your camp. that they had no advanced knowledge of his behavior, and Newman was a master of deception., But by the time new evidence was uncovered through national media, Survivors of child sexual abuse in Missouri can. CBS News Texas: Free 24/7 News . So is 55 a reasonable timeframe to push that back? ), Pete organized a full body massage for all the boys and he pulls me aside before we all head into the massive room and tells me, all these ladies will do a groin massage on everyone and watching the reactions of all the young guys is hilarious, the witness said. We are committed to our vision that todays young adults are the Christian leaders of tomorrow, and we will continue to advocate for their safety as they grow in friendships, faith, and confidence. 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We immediately began conversations with identified victims and their families and notified parents of current and former campers. Tragically, in a deeply troubling array of instances, the safety of children took a back seat to other considerations as years of child sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps have been covered up by the organization. Both USA Today and the News-Leader are owned by the media company Gannett. Additionally, Kanakuk set out to elevate our safety practices, which resulted in the Kanakuk Child Protection Plan (the CPP) The CPP, which contains over 340 identifiable and measurable protective elements, is integrated throughout the Kanakuk organization and has been shared with more than 600 youth-serving organizations across the country. #ProtectChildren Click To Tweet, @Kanakuk, release survivors from their NDAs so that they may speak about the childhood sexual abuse they endured at your camp. Nancy French is aNew York Timesbestselling author. We also recognize that an essential part of healing is the ability for victims to share their stories. For decades, thousands of families have entrusted their childrens hearts, minds, and safety to Kanakuk Kampsone of the largest Christian sports camps. Bates is a graduate of Harvard College and a member of the Report for America Corps. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Retrieved from All these fees add up. Newman and Kanakuk Kamps founder and president Joe White are also defendants in the suit. Kanakuk leadership maintains that they had no advanced knowledge of his behavior, and Newman was a master of deception., [Leadership] stated they fired Newman as soon as they were aware of his abusive behaviors, and that he acted alone, Hoffpauir said. OnMarch 10, Newman confessed and gave White, Goodwin, and Cooper a list of victims names. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps and are interested in counseling, legal resources, or to connect with other survivors, FactsAboutKanakuk.com can help you here. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Kanakuk paid $144,296 to K-Land One. From protocols regarding slippery surfaces, inclement weather, and facilities safety to the prevention of abuse through Kanakuks 3 Rules and 6 Boundaries, the safety conversation with our staff begins in the interview process and is built into the fabric of who we are as an organization. So we didnt. Any victim can reach out to Kanakuk by emailing us at victimsupport@kanakuk.com or access several independent victim advocacy organizations such as ChildHelp.org or Rainn.org who can provide access to local support services, reporting assistance, and educational resources. This service is free to readers and other news outlets. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? Yandell and his parents reached a civil settlement with Kanakuk in 2010 regarding abuse Yandell suffered at the hands of Newman, who is now in prison on two life sentences for sexually abusing multiple children at the evangelical summer camp. Pete Newman, who had been a Kanakuk Kamps director, was convicted in 2010 on seven counts of sexually abusing young boys and is now serving two consecutive life sentences plus 30 years. I remember hearing about Pete doing something inappropriate toward [name redacted], she told me in a phone interview. 11 Springfield News-Leader. #ProtectChildren #ListenToSurvivors Click To Tweet, Kanakuk Kamps has responded to only one investigation report, and they didnt even recognize their role in allowing the abuse to continue. My son-in-law did a fantastic job running the nursery and toddler room at one of the largest churches in the country! Pete Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years. A Texas victims father said Kanakuk told him a lawyer representing another victim arrived at the camp and caused Newman to confess. She added, A few days before my brother died, he told a therapist, They are always going to control me and Ill never be free, she said. @Kanakuk, its time to issue annual transparency and response reports and prioritize preventing such abuse in the future. Martens declined to say how much money the Yandells were awarded as part of the 2010 settlement. She said a. Any victim can reach out to Kanakuk by emailing us at victimsupport@kanakuk.com or access several independent victim advocacy organizations such as ChildHelp.org or Rainn.org, who can provide access to local support services, reporting assistance, and educational resources. We believe that victims of abuse should be free to share their stories in support of their healing. With the release of the new articles, former Kanakuk campers, staff and sexual abuse survivors have come forward from cities that include Dallas and Amarillo, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville, Tenn.; and Fayetteville, Ark. Newman. There are many false narratives circulating online, particularly stemming from a website that purports to share facts. The child she named was the same child Neugebauer helped send on the ill-fated retreat. We also documented Kanakuks lack of action, even after several parental complaints. Neugebauer told me he did not believe that strategy would deal with Newmans predation effectively. The three articles published last week identify other questionable and red-flag behaviors that the articles say Kanakuk leaders tolerated both before and after the sex abuse claims against Newman and others became public. This time it involves claims of fraud in a sex abuse scandal. BRANSON, Mo., April 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new website has launched dedicated to creating greater awareness of sexual abuse that occurred at the . With the release of the new articles, former Kanakuk campers, staff and sexual abuse survivors have come forward from cities that include Dallas and Amarillo, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville, Tenn.; and Fayetteville, Ark. Our primary focus has been to ensure victims have the support they need to heal and recover, and we continue to work tirelessly to ensure this never happens again at Kanakuk. I took Pete to New York with [Newmans wife]. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. conservative online news outlet The Dispatch, Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades, It was just a thing at Kanakuk: Campers and staff say nudity was part of camp culture, Kanakuk camper says she was told to apologize, denied call home after reporting abuse, Kanakuk's statement provided in response to the News-Leader's questions, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Two decades ago, his deceit was masterful and successful. A series of articles published by the Springfield News-Leader on May 26 tells the stories of previously silent sex abuse victims and others who say Missouri-based Kanakuk Kamps did not do enough to protect them when they were campers there. The boy claimed that during that retreat, Newman attempted to shower and sleep naked in the hotel bed with him, but the boy successfully resisted. Another camp insider remembered it differently. An open letter from survivors of sexual abuse at Kanakuk was delivered personally to Kanakuk President, Joe White on Feb 11, 2022: We are survivors of Kanakuk abuse and their allies. Former camper suing Missouri-based Kanakuk claiming 'fraudulent' abuse settlement Jody Jones, who flew from Utah to testify, was a camper at Kanakuk in 1985, when she was 8. Newmans accountability approach to wrongdoing had been used before. Dozens of additional news outlets have carried stories as well. A Kanakuk employee told me an attorney recorded a phone call with Pete during which the counselor made incriminating statements. Rather, it appears this group is craftily hiding their identity while simultaneously leveraging the pain of victims to advance their agenda. Logan Yandell, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, filed the lawsuit Friday in Taney County court against Kanakuk Ministries, Kanakuk CEO Joe White, Kanakuk Heritage Inc. and Westchester Fire Insurance Company. Logan's family says from age 9 to 13, he was sexually abused by Pete Newman, a Kanakuk counselor, and later, camp director. This was and is a violation of trust, and ultimately a failure of leadership. Youll be my accountability partner. Enough is enough! As soon as Kanakuk became aware of abuse, we took action, including immediate termination, and subsequently reported him to authorities. Their lengthy investigation determined that no other Kanakuk employee or leadership member was aware of Mr. Newmans illegal activities. Unfortunately, as often happens today, social media and online reporting have allowed myth to be presented as facts. Salacious statements and careful edits of leaked deposition videos generate clicks and website traffic, while logic is suspended, and critical questions are ignored. The bill cannot stop these events, Seitz said, but will allow for these children who are now adults, to call the people to be held to account, and creates a path for civil actions to benefit the survivors, and provide some form of restitution and accountability.. Many of the allegations in these and previous articles involve incidents from the 1990s, 2000s and early 2010s. The Yandell family and "Kanakuk Abuse Survivors" who wrote an Open Letter to Joe White are asking for 3 things: Joe White and Kanakuk to admit what they knew, when they knew it and be held. Our problem wasnt a lack of information, it was an abundance. Extensive reporting on Kanakuk published in the News-Leader in May further described how Kanakuk leaders failed to act on knowledge of Newman's inappropriate sexual behavior, while detailing alleged sexual abuse by other former Kanakuk staff. For this reason, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has named Kanakuk Kamps to the 2022 Dirty Dozen List. She previously wrote for the Nevada Current, where she reported on labor violations in casinos, hurdles facing applicants for unemployment benefits and lax oversight of the funeral industry. This petition is a companion to the Hold Kanakuk Accountable petition, which invites you to join survivors of Kanakuk abuse in demanding that Kanakuk admits to known failures, releases victims from their NDAs, and invites an independent investigation.Support survivors and their pleas with your signature! But I was shocked at the amount of money Joe wanted the nonprofit to pay him for the camp, Neugebauer said. Toby Neugebauer is the parent of Kanakuk campers and a longtime supporter of the camp. White is still the head of the camp today. Neugebauerbelieving the retreat would be beneficial for the boyallowed him to use his frequent flier miles to make the trip more affordable. Since 1926, Kanakuk has been the Christian summer camp for over 300,000 youth. Newman allegedly created pornographic materials of children. Its a critical necessity for their healing and restoration. In my experience, a person learning of it [for the first time] wouldve had a different reaction, he said. Neugebauer proposed forming a nonprofit to buy the camp. Kanakuk is an elaborate up-scale sports camp. The law was telling me there was nothing to be done about it, and the clock had run out on me.. Logan Yandell also is quoted in that May series, describing how he struggled with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts as a result of the abuse. For them to pursue such actions would be unfortunate, but Kanakuk has been transparent and has nothing to hide, and the perpetrators have long since been imprisoned. Kanakuk abuse survivors urge Missouri lawmakers to extend statute of limitations The House judiciary committee on Monday heard public testimony on a bill that would give childhood sexual abuse survivors the ability to file a civil claim up to age 55. What was the camps response? 25 Feb/23. The timeline below, drawn from court documents, indicates a troubling delay between Neugebauers call to Pete Newman, the camps reporting to authorities, and Newmans arrest. Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades. New Evidence Emerges: Kanakuk Kamp Blocked an Effort to Fire an Employee Later Revealed To Be a Serial Child Abuser Pete Newman's supervisor recommended he be fired in 2003, according to sources. OnApril 23, a Kanakuk attorney offered to meet with Taney County officials. "The only thing that the civil justice system provides to our clients, victims of sexual abuse like Logan, is monetary compensation," Martens said. On March 28, a report published in The Dispatch by David and Nancy . Martens said evidence his group has uncovered disputes that claim. The true fact is that this group is not interested in anything more than furthering their agenda. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. My venting is due to some examples I experienced (not personally) where the men over looked evil when they should have stepped up to the plate. By Nancy French and David French Dec 23, 2021 90 #ProtectChildren, @Kanakuk, release survivors from their NDAs so that they may speak about the childhood sexual abuse they endured at your camp. The bill also includes a retroactive piece, called a window or revival law, which allows cases that were barred or dismissed due to a statute of limitation to be revived during a window of two years. And Cooper a list of victims to advance their agenda false narratives circulating online particularly. Recorded a phone interview to use his frequent flier miles to make the trip more affordable time it involves of... Problem wasnt a lack of information, it appears this group is hiding! 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