Jennifer Storm presents one woman’s recovery from addiction, trauma, and adversity. She identifies the key components of what can help a person turn their lives around. Jennifer Storm is the ultimate survivor turned thriver having recently chronicled her own story of victimization and recovery in her memoirs Blackout Girl: Growing up and Drying out in America and Leave the Light On. In her first memoir, Blackout Girl, Jennifer enthralled readers with the haunting account of her descent into addiction as a young adult. In Jennifer's courageous and insightful sequel, Leave the Light On, she continues her inspiring story through forgivness, redemption, recovery and the self-discovery that followed. Storm's third book, Picking Up the Pieces, published in 2011, exposed a very real problem facing thousands in recovery today. Being victimized by a crime can be a life-altering, traumatic experience -- one that can divert the course of recovery, pitching many back into the throes of addiction.
In 2002, Ms. Storm joined Victim Witness Assistance Program as the organization’s second Executive Director victims advocate. Before joining VWAP, Ms. Storm was the first full time director of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition, a non-profit coalition dedicated to securing and defending fully inclusive civil rights for LGBT people in Pennsylvania. During her tenure at Pennsylvania Rights Coalition, Jennifer worked diligently on obtaining inclusive hate crime legislation.
Jennifer currently travels the country giving keynotes, lectures, workshops, and panel discussions regarding victims’ rights, LGBTA rights, addiction and recovery, and civil rights.
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| Jennifer's latest release is her e-book, Echoes of Penn State, which can be purchased HERE.
In Echoes of Penn State, Jennifer Storm wrote a powerful response to the Jerry Sandusky adolescent sex abuse case that mixed elements of her own story of victimization as a pre-teen along with a stunning critique of the handling of the case.
Jennifer created a document that is required reading for anyone trying to find answers in this unfolding tragedy.
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| Blackout Girl: A riveting memoir of what happens to a teenage girl whose life is awash in alcohol, drugs, and the trauma of rape. |
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| In the follow-up to Blackout Girl, her memoir of alcohol addiction, author Storm continues her compelling journey to fulfillment as a functional, substance-free human being. |
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| Being victimized by a crime can be a life-altering, traumatic experience—one that can divert the course of recovery, pitching many back into the throes of addiction. |
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| Jennifer Storm recently received the 2011 Pathfinder Award for Excellence in Victims Services in the Commonwealth of PA presented by Governor Tom Corbett. She was also appointed by Governor Tom Corbett to the Victims Service Advisory Board on July 22nd 2011 for a four year term. |
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"Jennifer Storm is a nationally known content expert on victim’s rights, survivor of sexual assault and outspoken advocate that understands complex victimization issues. During her afternoon presentation to staff professionals she engaged us with details on how to understand and assist persons dealing with significant trauma. Her life experiences and her passion to move recovery to a victim-centered approach was inspiring. In her evening public presentation Jennifer spoke more about her own life experiences and tied in the things that worked and didn’t work for her as a victim of crime. She was extremely interesting and effective. Most important and totally unexpected, two persons in the audience expressed the need for help with personal situations. At the conclusion of the program, both individuals were in contact with university personnel, from our Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Program and our Safe Campus program, who were in the audience. The opportunity to help these two students in crisis may not have happened without your support. Jennifer was as passionate and compassionate a speaker as I have ever seen and I appreciate your help in bringing her to the campus."
--Steve Rittereiser, Commander,
Office of Professional Standards & Training, University of Washington
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Preventing Violence Is A Responsibility
Victims rights activist speaks about support for sexual-assault survivors
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| Steve Rittereiser and Natalie Dolci from University of Washington's Police Department and Jennifer Storm, on right |
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By Zosha Millman
Victims rights activist Jennifer Storm spoke about victimization and support for sexual-assault survivors in Kane Hall Wednesday evening.
The event was sponsored by the ASUW Queer Student Commission, SafeCampus, Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Activists (SARVA), and the Women’s Center in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Storm spoke largely of her own experiences of sexual assault, drug addiction, and how working as a survivor advocate has influenced her life.
“I saw myself as the cause of what had happened,” said Storm, who is a rape survivor. “I saw it all as my fault. I felt a tremendous amount of loss, but it was all just another excuse to get high. I was using drugs to mask my emotions.”
Storm now serves as the executive director at the Victim/Witness Assistance Program in Harrisburg, Pa., where she assists police officers with first response and as a victim advocate. Wednesday afternoon, she met with the UW Police Department (UWPD) and faculty members about how the UW can increase access to help for survivors."
Read the entire article HERE
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