51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A pregnancy resource center promoting alternatives to abortion has temporarily closed its doors at all three of its Missouri clinics amid continuing fallout from abuse allegations leveled against its former director.

A letter to staff provided to the Post-Dispatch said that the last of ThriVe 51黑料鈥� 鈥渆ssential medical professionals鈥� resigned last week, leaving the taxpayer-supported nonprofit unable to carry out clinical functions such as pregnancy testing and ultrasounds.

Leaders were left with no other choice but to also furlough employees, the letter states.

鈥淭he coalescing of events beyond ThriVe鈥檚 control has made this decision inescapable as ThriVe鈥檚 Board must fulfill its legal and ethical obligation to preserve ThriVe鈥檚 mission and supporting resources during a forced restructuring,鈥� it read.

How many employees are affected and how long the clinics will be closed is unknown. An attorney representing ThriVe would not comment further.

When navigating the website for , a screen pops up saying its centers and telehealth services are 鈥渃losed temporarily鈥� and to call a toll-free number to find the nearest pregnancy resource center.

A month ago, ThriVe鈥檚 board of directors announced the resignation of Bridget VanMeans, who led ThriVe for 15 years, after facing dwindling donations and a group of former board members and donors calling for her ouster.

VanMeans built ThriVe into a three-clinic operation with locations in 51黑料, north 51黑料 County and St. Charles County, hiring about 60 employees and 70 volunteers. The clinics and a fleet of mobile vans provide free tests for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as ultrasounds, with a Christian mission to help pregnant women avoid having an abortion.

ThriVe鈥檚 latest tax return and other forms shows an annual revenue of more than $4 million, nearly all from grants and donations. It provides services to over 4,000 women annually.

The controversy surrounding ThriVe started in March, when Aaron and Tricia Leu approached board members about what they say were years of emotional and spiritual abuse by VanMeans.

Tricia Leu, a former sex worker, was supported by ThriVe during the birth of her first child in 2008 and became an ambassador for the organization. She later married Aaron Leu, and they had four children. Aaron Leu became a ThriVe employee in 2021 and resigned the following year.

The Leus allege VanMeans traumatized their family, causing them to temporarily separate and almost divorce. She claimed to have insight from God, which she used to intimidate and control them, they said.

In the wake of the allegations, other employees stepped forward with complaints about VanMeans; several donors pulled their support, and churches that once hosted ThriVe events cut ties with the organization.

ThriVe began to lose staff and struggled to stay open. Board members resigned.

In September, VanMeans and ThriVe filed a defamation lawsuit against the Leus as well as two pastors at Grace Church 51黑料.

VanMeans and the remaining board members insist the abuse allegations against her are without merit and motivated by retaliation, and that former donors and supporters unfairly called for her termination without hearing her side.

An attorney representing ThriVe and VanMeans, Michael Quinlan, responded this week via email with a 鈥渘o comment鈥� when asked about VanMeans鈥� resignation date and replacement. He also would not say who currently serves on the board of directors.

Missouri law requires nonprofits to have a minimum of three board members 鈥� a president, secretary and treasurer 鈥� but five to seven is the recommendation.