Creating a community of restoration, empowerment, and healing.
why we exist
Our mission:
We create equitable healing and dignified experiences for survivors of crime. We provide free, trauma-informed advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services in conjunction with strategic litigation, policy advocacy, and education to transform existing responses to harm.
What we value:
Innovation
Volare values community-driven innovation and resourcefulness. Seeking input from the community, we support our staff in ventures to think “outside of the box” to better serve our clients and community members. We recognize that staff, clients, and communities are pools of resources and catalysts for change.
sustainable passion
Volare runs on the energy of our mission-driven services and passion. We actively promote self-care among our clients and with our clients. We dedicate ourselves to operating sustainable and efficient programs by collaborating with partner organizations, being fiscally sound, and building and maintaining community support.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We work toward system accountability, advocating against programs that contribute to future harm.
Volare’s Theory of Change is rooted in the belief that existing systems are inadequate to meet the diverse needs of survivors, particularly those from marginalized communities. Our team is trained in trauma-informed principles—principles we pass on to community members, legislators, and the media. We aim to bring about positive change to the criminal legal system, lobbying for survivor rights and improving collective responses to harm.
WHOM WE SUPPORT
Supporting our community.
Volare welcomes and supports all survivors of crime, firmly believing that there is no hierarchy of victimization. We ensure all survivors are treated with dignity and respect, and maintain fluid services that mold to each unique survivor experience.
We open our doors to all survivors of crime.
How we speak
Words matter—so let’s open the glossary.
Survivor-defined justice
Ser-vai-ver dih-faind juhs-tis: noun
Survivor-defind justice is the pursuit of healing and justice done completely on a survivor’s terms. Choice and agency remains with the survivor, with all tools and pathways reflecting their unique experience.
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Restorative ecosystem
Reh-stor-uh-tiv ee-koh-sis-tuhm: noun
In a restorative ecosystem, systems—including schools, hospitals, and the justice system—support survivors and prevent trauma by addressing the root causes of crime.
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Trauma-informed principles
Traw-muh in-formd prin-suh-puhlz
Trauma-informed principles understand that the journey to healing should be rooted in safety, stability, empowerment, and choice, so as to not cause re-traumatization.
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HOW WE MAKE AN IMPACT
To date, Volare has empowered 11,000+ survivors.
…And we’re just getting started. In 2024 alone, our team showed up for survivor-defined justice in the following ways:
Free and safe rides
Provided to survivors to the hospital.
pro-bono hours
Dedicated to free legal services.
TOTAL CLIENTS
Served in 2023 alone.
hospital hours
Spent with clients.
BRIEF LEGAL ADVICE
Hours spent answering legal questions.
CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS
Cases litigated (225 new, 52 continuing).
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Different paths, same purpose:
Better serve survivors of crime.
Volare was founded in 2012 as Network of Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC). Volare aimed to fill a gap to expand, support, and defend crime victims’ rights. In addition to providing legal and advocacy services, Volare provided crisis hospital response to sexual assault and rape survivors, maintaining a 100% response rate year one—advocating for survivors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Grounded in quality, reliability, and innovation, the question, “What else can we do?” quickly rippled throughout every Volare team member. As the continuum of wrap-around services grew, so did the organization itself, with Volare acquiring two nonprofits while launching over a dozen initiatives and special projects to better support underserved communities and/or victimizations. At one point during the COVID-19 pandemic, Volare was the sole organization offering crisis hospital response and advocacy programs for adults.
Today, Volare empowers survivors through one-on-one support and expansion of victims’ rights at the state and federal level. We aim to build a restorative ecosystem through innovative partnerships, trauma-informed education, and public policy advocacy.
WHO WE ARE
Meet our team.
We promote the sustainable passion of our staff, ensuring our team is adequately resourced, receive a living wage, and reflect the diversity of the community we serve.
The names below are only a few of the members of our staff - our work could not be done without each and every team member of Volare.
Our leadership team
Bridgette Stumpf
CEO & Co-Founder
Lindsey Silverberg
Executive Director
Kristin Eliason
Head of Services
Merry O'Brien
Head of Finance & Operations
Naida Henao
Head of Engagement (Bilingual)
Kris Klassen
Advocacy Director (Bilingual)
Megan Challender
Director of Legal Services
Sasha Drobnick
Appellate Litigation Director
Shannarese Sims
Director of Therapeutic Services
Our board
Miranda Petersen, Chair
Attorney, Williams & Connolly LLP
Patrice Sulton
Executive Director, DC Justice Lab
Mona Mittal
Associate Professor, University of Maryland
Julia Gutierrez, Treasurer
Certified Public Accountant,
Graduate Student
Chris Griffin, CPA
Partner, CohnReznick
Aryeh Kaufman
Assistant General Counsel – Executive Director, Wells Fargo Legal Department
KRISTIN SHARP
CEO, Flex Association
Toni Jackson
Partner, Crowell & Moring
Tracy S. Montgomery
Volunteer Event Coordinator and Fundraiser
Alicia J. Paller
Attorney, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Whitney Case
Associate Director, US Department of Treasury
karl racine
Former Attorney General, District of Columbia
Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Molly Levinson
Founder & CEO of The Levinson Group (TLG)
Our honorary board
LIAM MONTGOMERY
Partner, Williams & Connolly LLP
Paulo Pontemayor
Director of Government Relations for the Catholic Health Association of the United States
Anne Carpenter, Secretary
Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Sulaksh Shah
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
RYAN GUILDS
Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP
Stephanie Hales
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
JENNIFER ELMORE
Survivor & Advocate
Christa Heilman
Sales Strategy Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois
congresswoman eleanor holmes norton
U.S. Congress Representative, District of Columbia
professor joan meier
Founding Director, National Family Violence Law Center at GW Law
Former Founding Director, DV LEAP