First Witness Child Advocacy Center:

“David has had a tremendous positive impact on the hundreds of children and families First Witness has worked with... David had to interface with a variety of organizations, both nationally and locally, as well as with our constituents. He did a superb job in this role, and served the children and families we work with, with dignity and respect.”

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Prevent Child Abuse MN:

"[To] David Samarzia, in grateful appreciation for your dedication and commitment to the mission of Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota and Circle of Parents as a supportive and generous volunteer.”

PAVSA:
“In honor of David Samarzia, a Male Survivor of Clergy Sexual Abuse, for his courage and perseverance, his commitment to protect children, his ability to speak out so eloquently. He has helped many survivors break through their silence.”​​

​The phrase “dogged perseverance” defines the life of David Samarzia.

Dogged perseverance, first, in developing coping skills to deal with the aftermath of childhood clergy sexual abuse. Second, in overcoming the debilitating panic attacks resulting from the abuse to establish an accounting business in his hometown of Duluth MN. Third, in coming forward at the age of 37 to finally speak of his abuse, not for monetary gain but to stop the church from sending kids on a mission trip with the man who molested him. And fourth, after it became clear the church wasn’t going to do anything about a pedophile in their pulpit, he paid the steep price of being a whistle-blower—his good name dragged through the mud, negative publicity, and the resulting loss of his business.

Perseverance, also, when his right to be known anonymously in the lawsuit as "John Doe" was shattered by the mainline Protestant church, which seemed to have all the money in the world to file appeal after appeal. That only made him dig in further: he wouldn't give up, no matter what. Too much was at stake. He had to keep children safe, and he had to speak out for other abused kids who'd been silenced by suicide.

David demonstrated the same perseverance in volunteering hundreds of unpaid hours with numerous anti-abuse organizations. [see below]  He collaborated with the local FBI office in its investigation of known sex offenders residing in the area. The Duluth police sex-crimes unit applauded him for persevering through a contentious eight-year lawsuit fought by a church that chose to defend a self-confessed, serial child molester and go after a victim instead. By the time everything  was over, he was discouraged, exhausted, and broke. Yet with dogged perseverance, he forged ahead with his plan to write a book—so others might be helped by what he learned.

David Samarzia

Author, Advocate ... Listener, Giver

Prevent Child Abuse MN

National Circle of Parents

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​CENTER AGAINST SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC ABUSE INC.

​“David went through hell trying to do the right thing. Church members shunned and insulted him, and accused him of money-grubbing — it was clear that money was the farthest thing from his mind. The church lawyers were savage. It was really shocking to see what should have been ministry to a deeply suffering person turned into innuendo, ugly accusations, and mockery. During the months in the period leading up to the trial, David had begun coming out of his shell, but the wrath in the small community drove him back in. He was awarded the church in the lawsuit, but he gave it back. People still kept saying he was just looking for money.”     

        Susan Stanich, award-winning reporter for The Duluth News Tribune

   CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER

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First Witness

Childhelp

​​​​Listening. That’s what David Samarzia found himself doing, from the moment the story of his sexual abuse in childhood by a popular Protestant pastor hit the local papers. Three men called him, crying, to say they'd been molested by the same minister.  Mothers sobbed speaking of their sons who'd spent a lot of time with the pastor and had committed suicide; one mom told David, “You have to be their voice now.”

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After his story hit the media, David undertook a “listening class” from Health Realizations and forty hours of training through the Minnesota Department of Corrections Approved Crisis Counseling program. He wanted to learn how to listen to the hundreds of abuse survivors who were contacting him on his personal phone from all over the U.S. and as far as England and Australia. Some were despondent and contemplating suicide before speaking with him. David also staffed the crisis hotline for PAVSA.

He volunteered with MEN AS PEACEMAKERS, where he received a commendation for mentoring a child with home and school difficulties; STOP IT NOW; CHILDHELP; and CASDA (Center Against Sexual and Domestic Violence). The organization PREVENT CHILD ABUSE MN offered its grateful appreciation to David for his “dedication and commitment to the mission of Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota and Circle of Parents as a supportive and generous volunteer.”

He gave many unpaid hours to the FIRST WITNESS ADVOCACY CENTER, which had begun several years before as a safe, child-friendly place for young victims of sexual and physical abuse to tell their stories. (Prior to First Witness, children were often interviewed 3-4 times throughout the investigation, adding to their trauma.) David used his background in business to help the organization define its vision and structure.

Through PAVSA, he gave moral support to a teenage boy (and his distraught mother) who was going through a sex-abuse lawsuit against a different minister. On his own dime, David flew to California to help two young men abused by a priest. His home in Duluth MN was designated a McGRUFF SAFE HOUSE FOR KIDS, a safe haven for any child who felt he or she might be in danger—before being accepted into this program, he underwent a background check by law enforcement and participated in training. David's accounting firm was one of the first in Minnesota to sign up for Adopt-A-Highway. He also volunteered to teach a class through SOAR (a Social Security advocacy service) where he spoke on record-keeping, accounting, and tax issues to women starting their own businesses.