History
Meet The Founder
Angela Rose is the founder of PAVE (Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment), the national nonprofit that operates Survivors.org. PAVE is dedicated to preventing sexual violence and supporting survivors. A leading voice in advocacy, Angela has spent over 25 years driving cultural change through education, survivor empowerment, and policy reform. Her work has been featured on CNN, The Today Show, and NPR, inspiring communities to take action.
Angela’s Story
At the age of seventeen, Angela Rose was kidnapped from a shopping mall and sexually assaulted. All of the anguish that existed during the abduction was immediately replaced by anger and a strong sense of vigilance. Angela worked with the perpetrator’s previous victims as well as the community to help enact the Illinois Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act in 1998.
Our History
25 Years of Shattering The Silence
1996
Angela Rose, PAVE’s founder, is kidnapped from a shopping mall at the age of 17. She fought back by spearheading community action that culminated with the passing of the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act.
2000
Angela Rose creates PAVE as a student organization at the University of WI – Madison after spending months interviewing campus administrators, community professionals, and politicians to find out what is missing at universities.
2001
Angela Rose files the paperwork to transform PAVE into a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.
2003
PAVE launches the Peer Education Program which educates students, athletes and fraternities/sororities. There is now a class called PAVE through the school of social work.
2005
PAVE’s sold out Conference of Healing in the Midwest brings together holistic health for trauma healing.
2007
PAVE launches sexual assault prevention initiatives for underrepresented communities, including people of color and LGBTQIA+ people.
2009
PAVE organizes the Victim’s Rights Rally in 40 cities in just 3 business days and is covered by CNN, the Today Show and TIME.
2011
PAVE launches military sexual assault prevention and bystander intervention trainings.
2013
PAVE convenes the National Campus Sexual Assault Summit at Georgetown Law and it broadcasts to over 400 colleges.
2015
Angela Rose steps down from CEO role at real estate company to take PAVE to the next level including the launch of curriculum for high school students and tools for their parents to talk about sexual assault prevention.
2016
PAVE’s high school program is featured at the United State of Women Summit.
2017
PAVE supports the launch of The Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence.
2021
PAVE partners with Dr. Coby Webb to train support dogs to support law enforcement and survivors during the reporting process. Support dogs are sent to law enforcement agencies across the country, including the U.S. Capitol Police.
2021
PAVE launches Survivors.org, and spreads the news to millions of people with a billboard in Times Square.
2022
PAVE and Hope, Healing, and Transformation begin hosting Healing Circles.
2022
PAVE is awarded funding from the Office for Victims of Crime to expand Survivors.org.
2023
PAVE hosts the first annual Advocate Appreciation Day and Shatter The Red Zone Summit.
2024
PAVE begins hosting virtual Support Groups and Trauma-Informed Art Workshops