For Immediate Release: 3/2/2023 2:36 pm
WORCESTER, Mass. – The City of Worcester Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (ACSW) presents the Woman and Young Woman of Consequence Awards Ceremony on International Women’s Day, Wednesday, March 8, at 6 p.m.
Members of the media and the public are invited to attend in person in Worcester City Hall, Levi Lincoln Chamber. Refreshments and networking begin at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony is from 6-7 p.m. and will be aired live On Demand on the City’s website. This year’s theme is Leading Authentically, and Senator Robyn Kennedy will offer the keynote address.
The 2023 Woman of Consequence Award will be presented to Audra Doody, who is the Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy Programs for Living In Freedom Together, Inc. (LIFT) a survivor-led nonprofit organization that is working to end prostitution.
Audra is a fierce and tireless advocate who has worked alongside countless prostituted women and is recognized as an expert in the community and is called on by law enforcement agencies, community partners, and the court system to ensure that survivors have access to choices and safety. Audra facilitates support groups in the community, runs educational programs for incarcerated survivors, and assists with exit planning and case management to connect women still in the life with relevant community resources.
The 2023 Young Woman of Consequence Award will be presented to Aliya Addo, who is a senior at Worcester Academy. Aliya is a graduate of Forest Grove Middle School, Jacob Hiatt Magnet School and Gentle Circle Learning Center.
Aliya is a member of the varsity volleyball team and a team manager for the varsity basketball team. Off the court, Aliya enjoys giving back to her community as a leader for the WAGON program where she volunteered to teach Union Hill School students how to swim and led donation drives for food, supplies, clothes, events and meals for homeless individuals. Her most memorable contribution was the Holiday Wishes Drive where she and others provided toys and essential items to 150 elementary school students.
The ACSW was created in 1977 to formulate, encourage, promote and monitor programs and policies relating to the status of women in the City of Worcester. The ACSW promotes community awareness of women’s issues such as sexual exploitation, pay equality and childcare through forums, recommendations to the City Manager and public awareness campaigns. Since 1996, the ACSW has highlighted extraordinary women of all ages through the Women of Consequence Awards.
