Episode #150: Cherish Families: Helping Those Caught In Abuse W/Shirlee Draper From Cherish Families

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So I have had the opportunity to meet many families in Mormon Fundamentalism and the vast majority of those families are beautiful, well adjusted, loving families. But I won’t deny that just like monogamous marriages abuse does happen and when it does women and children need help. However not all organizations that offer that help are created equal. This was never more on display than during the days of the wicked priest-tyrant Warren Jeffs. As folks reached out for help to get away from him there were organizations all too eager to help but would do so with strings attached like putting a camera in the survivor’s face and profiting off of their pain for reality T.V. ratings and then berating some of the survivors’ religious beliefs. However, there is one organization that I feel does it right and that is Cherish Families. Cherish Families was founded and is largely staffed by people from polygamous backgrounds both practicing and non-practicing. With their deep understanding of the fears and barriers that people from our faith community can experience, they are compassionate, empathetic, and uniquely qualified to serve the Mormon Fundamentalist community all without profiting off the survivor’s pain or forcing them to denounce their religious beliefs. Today I have Shirlee Draper on from Cherish Families and we have a discussion about how the organization was founded, how they seek to fulfill their mission, and what you could do to help if you feel so inclined.

https://cherishfamilies.org/

https://cherishfamilies.org/who-we-are/frequently-asked-question.html#content_24c94869fe754a439e20f7bcd2dbb8f2_item_14840325