VICTIM IMPACT NETWORK FOR ADVOCACY. Their Stories. Our Pain. Impacting Change.
Their Stories. Your Voice. Lasting Impact.
Whether you have lost someone you love to homicide, survived violent crime, or simply want to help create change, there is a place for you within VINA.
We are building a national network dedicated to supporting families, amplifying victims' voices, and advocating for meaningful change.
Together, we can make an impact.
Love is our foundation. Strength is our voice.
VINA founder Amber Wood at work, from county board meetings to the U.S. Senate.
Join the VINA Network
Sign-up is on our registration site, JoinVINA.org. It's free and takes about two minutes, and you choose how involved you want to be.
Join VINAWelcome to VINA.
This is the welcome message that will be emailed to you once VINA's email service is connected.
If you're able, you can also support VINA's mission.
What does joining VINA mean?
VINA, the Victim Impact Network for Advocacy, is an independent, developing national organization. We are two things at once: a compassionate network where victims of violent crime and their families find one another, and an organized national voice working for real change in public safety, victims' rights and the justice system.
See the five areas we focus on, how VINA works for change, and how you choose your own level of involvement.
LOVE IS OUR FOUNDATION. STRENGTH IS OUR VOICE.
VINA advocates for legislation such as the Karly Rain Wood Act, and our work reaches beyond any single bill. Every family's story matters here.
The Karly Rain Wood Act
The Karly Rain Wood Act began with a mother's voice. After losing her daughter, VINA founder and KANGEL mom Amber Wood demanded long-overdue changes to public safety policy. She refused to stay silent, carried Karly's story to lawmakers, and the Karly Rain Wood Act was born. Now we need you to take action
The Act would create a national Repeat Violent Felon Registration and Notification Program within the U.S. Department of Justice. Today, information about repeat violent offenders is largely kept state by state. This bill would connect it, strengthen communication between law enforcement agencies, and give the public a way to know when repeat violent offenders are living in their communities.
The bill carries the name of Karly Rain Wood, a 20-year-old from Omaha whose life was taken in November 2022. Karly was shot with three different guns, and each wound was fatal. One of the shooters has been convicted. The other two who shot her are still free, and her case is not yet fully solved. Her family has turned unimaginable grief into a fight to protect other families.
Senator Pete Ricketts introduced the Act in the U.S. Senate on August 5, 2026, with Senator Deb Fischer. Congressman Mike Flood introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House on September 24, 2026, joined by Representatives Don Bacon and Adrian Smith. Listen to hear from Senator Ricketts about the bill
Thank you, Senator Ricketts.
Thank you for listening to victims' families, for sitting down with them to hear their stories, and for turning their voices into action. We are grateful to every lawmaker who has stood with Karly's family and with families across the country.
Families like Karly's are why VINA exists. When members across the country share their stories and contact their elected officials, legislation like this moves forward. Tell Your Story here
Help bring Karly justice.
If you know anything about the shooting of Karly Wood on November 13, 2022, near 33rd and Ames Avenue in Omaha, please come forward. You can stay anonymous.
Lawmakers who listened.
“Karly Rain was murdered by a repeat violent offender. Her death was a tragedy. That's why I introduced this legislation in honor of Karly and to make our communities safer.”Senator Pete Ricketts, Nebraska
“My conversation with her mother, Amber Wood, was a heartbreaking reminder that preventable tragedies like this happen far too often across America.”Congressman Mike Flood, Nebraska
Karly Rain
Love life. Love yourself. Spread kindness. Karly's family carries her words forward, and her name now stands on federal legislation.
Voices in action.
From county board meetings to the U.S. Senate, VINA advocates are showing up and speaking out for victims and their families.
Show up. Be seen. Speak up.
One white shirt in the crowd put Karly's name and the Karly Rain Wood Act in front of everyone in the room and everyone watching. That's the power of showing up.
Change happens when an issue is impossible to ignore. Wear the message. Go where people gather: rallies, town halls, county board meetings, community events and church gatherings. Talk to the person next to you, and tell them why it matters.
We show up wherever people are listening, no matter the party. Every conversation, every shirt and every sign brings more visibility, and more demand for change.
Start with Karly's 555 Challenge
Your advocacy images hereShare a photo from a rally, vigil, hearing or meeting with your lawmakers.Submit your photo
Your advocacy images hereShare a photo from a rally, vigil, hearing or meeting with your lawmakers.Submit your photo
Karly's story, told by others.
News coverage of Karly, Amber's fight for change and the Karly Rain Wood Act.
Make a difference in your state.
Choose your state to find your lawmakers, send a message about the Karly Rain Wood Act, and see how VINA is growing near you.
Contact your lawmakers
Look up the U.S. Senators and Representative who serve your state, then reach out by phone, email or their contact form.
Nebraska is home to the Karly Rain Wood Act. Please thank Senators Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer and Representatives Mike Flood, Don Bacon and Adrian Smith for standing with victims' families.
Send a message of support
Copy this message, add your lawmaker's name and your own, and send it. A personal sentence about why this matters to you makes it even stronger.
VINA near you
VINA is just beginning to connect members state by state. Join the network and you'll be invited to our national Zoom gatherings, where members meet, share and learn together.
Take Karly's 555 Challenge.
One person can't pass a federal law alone, but together we can reach every state. It takes three simple steps.
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Take 5 minutes
Take 5 minutes to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to support S. 5245 and H.R. 10552.
Find your lawmakers and a ready-to-send message -
Share and talk to 5
Share Karly's story and the Karly Rain Wood Act online, and talk directly with 5 people about it.
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Pass it on to 5 out of state!
Get 5 friends who live in other states to take the same challenge.
Why out of state? A federal bill needs support from lawmakers all across the country, and lawmakers pay closest attention to the people who live in their own state. The more states that speak up, the more visibility and demand this bill gets. Be the squeaky wheel: we need more lawmakers to endorse it and more people demanding change. Let's bring it to the finish line.
Take it further: ask for a 15-minute meeting.
We encourage you to ask your senators' and representatives' offices for a 15-minute meeting, in person or by video. A face-to-face conversation packs a bigger punch than an email or a call.
You don't have to go alone. If you set up a meeting, Amber Wood or a VINA advocate may very well be able to join you, to help push the bill forward and bring awareness straight from the creator of the bill, as long as the lawmaker's office allows it.
Tell us about your meetingEmail your reps with facts and a personal message.
How VINA will grow together
We're building this network one connection at a time. As more members join in each state, we'll move from national calls to local groups and, in time, to state chapters.
- Starting now
National Zoom gatherings
Members from every state meet online to connect, share their stories and learn how to advocate.
State networking groups
As members in a state grow, they break out into their own groups to support one another and plan local action.
VINA state chapters
Chapters with volunteer leaders organize events, vigils and outreach to lawmakers in their own state.
Support VINA's mission.
VINA is growing because families, survivors and supporters across the country refuse to let their loved ones be forgotten. Your gift helps turn their stories into lasting change.
Your support helps us:
- Produce the podcast and share families' stories
- Help families travel to testify and meet with lawmakers
- Host national Zoom gatherings and grow state chapters
- Run awareness campaigns, vigils and events
- Keep our website and outreach going
Give today.
A monthly gift gives VINA steady support we can plan around. A one-time gift makes a difference too.
Online giving is coming soon.
The podcast
Stories told in their own words.
In Between Matters is a podcast for honest conversations about violent crime, the lives it changes and what it will take to prevent the next tragedy.
Guests come from every side of the story. Hearing them together helps listeners understand what leads to violence, what helps people heal and change, and where the justice system can do better.
Who you'll hear from
- Families of homicide victimsSharing who their loved ones were and what the loss has meant.
- Survivors and victim advocatesSpeaking to what victims need and too often don't get.
- Elected officials and lawmakersExplaining the policies and legislation that shape public safety.
- Formerly incarcerated peopleHaving served their time and rebuilt their lives, they offer a rare view of how violence happens and how rehabilitation works.
These conversations aren't always easy. By bringing families, lawmakers and people with lived experience to the same table, the podcast builds understanding and moves the conversation toward real solutions.
If you would like to tell your story on the podcast or in an interview, let us know when you register.
- InBetweenMatters.com video episodes
- KarlyRainMatters.com the original podcast, with the most episodes (audio only)
Contact us
We're here to listen.
Have a question about VINA, want to share an idea, or need to reach our team about media, the podcast or advocacy? Send us a message and a member of VINA will get back to you.
Whether you're a grieving family, a lawmaker, a reporter or a supporter, your message matters to us.
If you're in danger right now, call 911.
For free, confidential support for crime victims, call VictimConnect at 1-855-484-2846. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Thank you for reaching out.
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Stay up to date.
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