The stories were republished the next day by USA Today. Newman allegedly created pornographic materials of children. Kanakuk Kamps, headquartered in Branson, Mo., begins camp terms next week and plans to host 20,000 children this summer. But it was not just one scoutmaster and it was never just one priest, Neugebauer told me, referring to the massive sex abuse cover-ups in the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church. More:It was just a thing at Kanakuk: Campers and staff say nudity was part of camp culture. It was the summer of 2002 and he was excitedthe Christian sports camp advertised the "best summer ever . Jody Jones, who flew from Utah to testify, was a camper at Kanakuk in 1985, when she was 8. There are many false narratives circulating online, particularly stemming from a website that purports to share facts. This lawsuit is being filed to hold Kanakuk accountable, and to give Logan and potentially other victims and survivors their voices back.. Another camp insider remembered it differently. Seven states open the window for two or more years, as this law proposes Missouri do, and two states currently open the window permanently for adult survivors of child sex abuse, according to Child USA. Regarding these other organizations, bloggers, authors, etc who continue to make baseless claims and defame Kanakuk, our employees, and friends we are prepared to defend our people and this ministry against such a cancel-culture mentality. 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. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. 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. It also implied Newman left voluntarily instead of being terminated. 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. This article was originally published at Ministry Watch. We are only a small fraction of the Kanakuk survivors, yet our collective abuse experiences span from the 1950s to 2022. Neugebauer proposed forming a nonprofit to buy the camp. It is so sad! 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. Toby Neugebauer is the parent of Kanakuk campers and a longtime supporter of the camp. As a world leader among Christian summer camps, Kanakuk provides children with fun, safe and professional outdoor youth camping experiences that grow them spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially. Since its founding in 1926, it claims to have served more than 450,000 campers. We want victims to know that their voices are heard and that we will never stop being sorry for the pain inflicted upon them by these perpetrators. Branson-based Kanakuk Kamps and its associated ministries are a multi-million-dollar global enterprise that includes the largest evangelical sports camp in the world. All statements on this page were submitted by verified survivors of abuse at Kanakuk Kamps. 2015 A federal case filed in Texas by John Doe III, originally filed in 2013, is settled because "all matters in controversy between the parties have been resolved." 2012 Tragically more than 12 years ago, one of our staff members was accused and convicted for abusing Kampers. Despite the survivors who have come forward, at least a dozen lawsuits, and the news investigations that have uncovered practices at the camp that enabled the reported abuse to fester. Hoffpauir was one of several survivors of childhood sexual abuse, including from Kanakuk and Boy Scouts of America, who testified at a House judiciary hearing Monday night in support of a bill that would extend the civil statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Kanakuk Kamps, headquartered in Branson, Mo., begins camp terms next week and plans to host 20,000 children this summer. As soon as Kanakuk became aware of abuse, we took action, including immediate termination and subsequently reported him to authorities. For more than a decade, the camp has been under scrutiny for reports of sexual abuse. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Kanakuk is an immense operation. My biggest mistake was not calling the FBI, because it involved interstate trafficking of children, Neugebauer said, indicating the victim hed sponsored traveled outside of his resident state of Texas to Alabama for the Kanakuk retreat. These conversations left him with a distinctively negative impression. It too enjoys a "50 year lease with a 50-year option." According to John Jensen, the Chief Business Officer for Kanakuk Ministries, "All the land tied to this lease [with Kukorp] will revert to Kanakuk upon the death of Joe and Debbie-Jo White." A petition asking Kanakuk to release dozens of sexual abuse victims and families from non-disclosure agreements has reached more than 26,000 signatures. Furthermore, Kanakuk continues to offer support to victims, including providing independent counseling if desired. Our children and nieces have all been as campers. #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. No One Knows. A two-week session costs around $2500, but thousands of affluent families gladly pay the fee, and often not just for two weeks. As a family we love Kanakuk. Our Response to Abuse and Child Safety. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and Twitter. John Hobbs, who testified in support of the bill, and said he was abused by a former Boy Scout leader, asked: Is it really worth todays world trying to suppress someones life such as mine simply to save your extremely wealthy company and/or clients money?, This bill, Hobbs later continued, starts the path of holding institutions accountable., by Clara Bates, Missouri Independent February 14, 2023. All these fees add up. Two members of Neugebauers family have corroborated the details of his account and tell me they were told of his efforts contemporaneously: his wife and his father, who is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. This time it involves claims of fraud in a sex abuse scandal. Every childs safety is our No. While we could never keep up with all of our alumni family, we know the vast majority of them have left Kanakuk and gone on to raise amazing families and serve their communities through careers in full-time ministry, law, medicine, science, civil service, teaching, military service, and professional sports. Prior to that, Smith was Vice President-Mission Advancement for the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Four people testified in opposition to the bill, representing business and insurance with particular opposition to the portion of the bill which opens a window for a revival of claims. According to the nonprofit child protection advocacy group Child USA, Missouri is currently one of 21 states with the age cap set at 34 years old or younger which Child USA ranks as the worst states in terms of statutes of limitations for child sex abuse survivors. Their lengthy investigation determined that no other Kanakuk employee or leadership member was aware of Mr. Newmans illegal activities. The prosecutor who oversaw the case of Peter Newman said the number of victims could be in the hundreds. Lee Bradbury pleaded guilty in 2013 to four sex related charges involving campers at Kanakuk. The FBI should be all over this like a glove., In an email, attorney and author Rachael Denhollandertheformer gymnast who blew the whistle on Larry Nassarand has since become a leading voice on the topic of sexual abusewrote, The level of abuse and cover-up that has taken place at Kanakuk is extreme and follows well-established patterns of organized trafficking and production of child sexually abusive material (child porn). She also wrote, A detailed investigation not just of the abuse, but of the cover-up, needs to be undertaken immediately. They continue to twist the truth under the banner of sharing facts. Former Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell, the person who ultimately prosecuted Newman, does not recall what was foundif anythingon these devices. 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. Yandell's attorneys say the family became aware in December 2021 thanks to reporting published in conservative online news outlet The Dispatch that Newman's direct supervisor, Will Cunningham, had recommended Newman be fired in 2003 based on multiple reports of child sexual abuse, but White overruled the recommendation and later promoted Newman to camp director. More than 600 organizations have been trained in the CPP to date. 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. To donate, click here. "Our focus right now is on Logans case," Martens said. In March of 2022 the NCOSE shockingly included Kanakuk on its Dirty Dozen List, without the benefit of any direct conversation with us. He tells us that he confronted Pete Newman directly and afterward had a series of disturbing conversations with Joe White. Read a more extensive account of what the new investigations expose here. Please be aware that this website may contain information and images that some may find disturbing. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. There was a mom who drove by somebodys house and saw Newman in a hot tub with boys. Weve seen over 500,000 campers and more than 50,000 summer staff come through these gates, and our goal is to provide a healthy, positive, and welcoming summer home to generations of families. Sure forgive, but first toss their butts over to the cops. Both USA Today and the News-Leader are owned by the media company Gannett. Newman. It has since put on child protection training seminars. And anything that wouldnt be an extension of that would be something very difficult for us to understand, AuBuchon said. So we didnt. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. She also wrote about vocational education for Democracy Journal. 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.. As I sought out legal action in an effort to hold my enablers accountable, I was crushed to find out I was a few years past Missouris statute of limitations, Hoffpauir said. 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. Newmans accountability approach to wrongdoing had been used before. Victims of sexual abuse by former Kanakuk Kamp staffer Pete Newman (pictured above, currently serving 2 consecutive life sentences plus 30 years) have come forward and are taking legal action. Would you impugn the reputation of every male volunteer because of the evil actions of the few. Morgan says the incident involving the camper preceded Newmans confession. Joe White, president of Kanakuk Kamps, which has welcomed more than 450,000 campers since 1926, was sued in 2015 for being aware of sexual abuse taking place at his camp. Their collective Kanakuk abuse experiences span from the 1950s to 2022. 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. "The only thing that the civil justice system provides to our clients, victims of sexual abuse like Logan, is monetary compensation," Martens said. We know now that we have added confusion and frustration when we have spoken on this topic. Many of the allegations in these and previous articles involve incidents from the 1990s, 2000s and early 2010s. Neugebauers account also lines up with court testimony, which indicates Newman was fired on March 10, 2009, but does not explain why Kanakuk insisted the catalyst for the confession was a letter from an attorney. 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