MISHAWAKA, Ind.--- One Michiana organization aims to stop domestic violence (DV) tragedies before they happen. Angels in the Attic, a Mishawaka-based nonprofit, helps those experiencing DV escape from their abusers, often providing survivors with the support they need that many would not consider.

Founder and CEO Kristine Kurowski told ABC57 that more than 1,000 women have been helped over the past two years.

"A lot of our clients leave with a backpack," Kurowski said. "Some of them leave in their pajamas in the middle of the night with nothing else."

Women like Ami Exe.

"I left with nothing, and just my dogs," she said. "Starting over, that's the hard part.”

She said Angels in the Attic helped keep a temporary roof over her head so she could figure out all the rest.

"You have to go and worry about getting new IDs and social security cards and clothes and rent deposits," Exe said.

The nonprofit's 3,700 square foot warehouse is stocked with all the essentials one may need, including things like curtains for peace of mind.

For Kurowski, the mission of Angels in the Attic is personal. In an interview and warehouse tour with ABC57's Annie Kate, she said she left her abuser more than a decade ago.

"Somebody did this for me," she said. "And I think it was key to my son and me, being able to heal in a safe place."

The organization is run by unpaid volunteers, 90 percent community-funded, and mostly donation-based.

"Because I'm a survivor myself, I really feel like I can connect with women and empathize, instead of just sympathize," Kurowski said. "Sympathy is great, but there's something very strong in empathy. And it's like a sisterhood. One you never wanted to join but one you're happy you got once you found it."

Now, for the second year, she’s bringing back its fundraiser, "UNBROKEN: A Runway of Resilience," where women helped by the organization walk not as victims, but as survivors. It is Thursday, May 7, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Exe walked the inaugural runway.

"This year I won't be walking with my head down on the runway like I did last year," she said. "I walked out there with my head down, and it was very slow, because it was overwhelming. When you're learning how to be around people again, and not being isolated, it was-- I was overwhelmed. But this year, I'm going for the gusto."

This year, survivors won’t walk alone, but will instead be accompanied by community leaders.

Spaces will be left intentionally empty at the fundraiser.

"We have chairs for the victims that we've worked with over the years, who've passed," Kurowski said. "We had three for a really long time."

This year, however, there will be four empty chairs. The fourth chair will be added for Jamecia Moffitt.

"Jamecia was brutally murdered by a boyfriend, a guy she was seeing," said Moffitt's cousin, Terrica McMorris. "Jamecia was more than a cousin to me; she was my sister. We called each other sister-cousins.”

On Feb. 28, South Bend police found the 35-year-old mother in an SUV off Kemble Avenue with catastrophic injuries to her face and head. The man seen with her was charged with murder. Once she was taken to the hospital, it was determined she suffered irreversible brain damage.

McMorris was tasked with identifying Moffitt in the hospital.

"I want to keep her alive as much as possible by bringing awareness to domestic violence situations," McMorris said.

Moffitt may have died before she could be saved, but not before she could save others. McMorris said she was able to save six others through organ donation.

"She was the phoenix from the ashes, and I believe that her legacy shall not die here; it shall live on," she said.

She will be honored at the May 7 fundraiser.

"We're walking for her," Exe said. "That's what we're representing."

ABC57's Annie Kate will be among the community members walking alongside survivors at "UNBROKEN: A Runway of Resilience."

Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

Those facing a DV situation in Michiana can reach out to Angels in the Attic directly by texting 615-809-7461 or emailing [email protected].

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-SAFE (7233).