About SOAR

Mission Statement

Speaking Out About Rape, Inc.® (SOAR®) runs national awareness, education and prevention programs to empower survivors of sexual violence and enhance the public's understanding and acceptance of rape victims.

What Does SOAR Do?

• Hosts Operation Freefall: The Two-Mile High Stand Against Sexual Assault® each year to increase awareness and raise funds.

• Hosts SOAR SPA® (Something Positive Afterward®) to offer survivors and their loved ones an opportunity for healing and bonding.

• Hosts Living Out Loud™, which is an improv workshop to assist survivors in reclaiming their laughter.

• Manages Don’t Skirt The Issue™, a clothing line with a purpose.

• Provides presentations on rape awareness, focusing on the healing process.

• Educates groups who work with sexual assault victims (such as law enforcement, medical professionals, mental health workers, and advocates) on victim sensitivity and related issues.

• Provides survivors and their families and friends with referrals for counseling, medical assistance, victims’ rights information, legal assistance, advocacy, etc.

• Works to improve the response system for victims by collaborating with local, state, and federal agencies on public policy.

• Advocates for the advancement of DNA technology and the reduction of the rape-kit backlog, to promote accuracy and success in the prosecution of rapists.

• Provides the media with information and tools to discuss sexual assault in productive and positive ways.

SOAR was founded by Kellie Greene, herself a survivor of rape. Kellie’s rapist was not identified for three years, and she needed a positive direction in which to direct her anger. Not wanting the crime to be a “random act of violence,” she decided to give it a purpose by speaking about her rape and the journey of her healing. Greene joined the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) speaker’s bureau in 1995 and began speaking nationally. Having lived through many of the injustices of the medical and judicial systems, Kellie set out to make positive changes so others might have an easier path to healing. (Full Bio).