ABW honors DA Doorley

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The 2014 winners of Alternatives for Battered Women’s Champion Awards including Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley, state Sen. Joseph Robach and volunteer Dani Polidor.

Awards were given out Thursday at Oak Hill Country Club, where more than 75 supporters and community partners recognized the honorees for their contributions and collaboration to address domestic violence in the Greater Rochester area.

“We are proud to honor these steadfast community champions” said Jaime Saunders, CEO of ABW. “This year’s award recipients exemplify what it means to stand with survivors of this terrible crime.”

Doorley received the Stop the Hurt Award, given to a community champion who works to protect, defend and seek justice for victims of domestic violence. In particular, she was recognized for finding justice for Alexandra Kogut, an 18-year-old student at SUNY College at Brockport who was murdered in her dorm room by her boyfriend in “one of the most horrific and high profile dating violence homicides” in the area. Her killer, Clayton Whittemore, was convicted of second-degree murder in May and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

“Our community is indebted to DA Doorley for her tough prosecution of this case and for finding justice for Alex Kogut,” Saunders said.

Robach was presented by with the Shine the Light Award for working closely with advocates against domestic violence to strengthen state laws to protect victims and punish perpetrators. He joins ABW each October to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month and recently put a spotlight on the issue in his constituent mailing to more than 30,000 residents. He also annually participates in ABW’s annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes event; this year sporting bright yellow stilettos.

Polidor received the Annette Itkin Volunteer Award and the Restore the Hope Award was presented posthumously to the daughters of Norman Hasman, a World War II veteran who supported the ABW in many ways.