From 'lost and broken' to Woman of Consequence

WORCESTER — Audra Doody came to Worcester in 2015, “lost and broken,” the sum of her worldly possessions tucked inside a suitcase.

Wednesday night, Doody was named the city’s 2023 Woman of Consequence, an honor bestowed in recognition of her work helping vulnerable women across the county.

“A woman of consequence is not only a valued person — it is someone who dedicates their life to showing others their value,” Doody, a survivor of the sex trade who once saw little value in her own life, told an audience at City Hall.

More:Survivors of sex trade, Worcester City Council urge partial decriminalization

Doody was one of two women honored Wednesday night, as Aliya Addo, a Worcester Academy senior and prolific volunteer, was named the 2023 Young Woman of Consequence.

The awards, which date to 1996, are held on International Women’s Day, a global event celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

“This celebration is meant to uplift and inspire,” Kayanna James, chairperson of the city entity that bestows the awards, the Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, said Wednesday as she opened the event.

'Missing link'

Doody paved her path to success through adversity. A difficult childhood in Lynn preceded self-medication with pills, spawning an addiction she battled for years.

In a prior interview, Doody said she was exploited at 18 by a department store manager who offered her a way to make extra cash.

“She said, ‘You’re just going to go have dinner with these guys,’” Doody recalled.

That is not what happened.

Like many other survivors of prostitution, Doody said trauma she experienced in “the life” intensified her addiction, launching a cycle of vulnerability that appeared impossible to escape.

Arrested on warrants at age 29 in 2015, Doody recalled coming to Worcester "lost and broken" before being given a chance at treatment rather than punishment by the Worcester District Attorney’s office and District Court Judge Michael Allard-Madaus.

It was during that process that Doody met Nicole Bell, another sex trade survivor who established Living in Freedom Together (LIFT), the city nonprofit that aims to lift women from — and put an end to — prostitution.

Bell — a 2016 recipient of the Woman of Consequence award — said Wednesday that she immediately knew Doody was gifted.

“She is a natural leader who demonstrates compassion and empathy for all,” Bell said, describing how Doody, even as she struggled herself, recruited others to Bell’s support groups.

Doody had a relapse, but Bell stood by her side, helping her get back into treatment for the last time in 2017.

“She never gave up on me. She never judged me,” said Doody, who now oversees programs that operate with the same mantra: Meeting women “where they are,” and helping them through setbacks and various stages of recovery.

Doody told the audience Wednesday she was incredulous when Bell asked her to become the first Living in Freedom Together employee.

“I thought this was a dream. I never believed I could be anything,” she said. “Nikki was the first person to truly hear me and see me.”

Bell told the audience that Doody has become that same kind of rock for others through tireless work the past four years.

“Audra is that person to so many of our women,” she said. “Through her own strength, resilience and experience she demonstrates that it is possible to exit prostitution and be whomever you choose to be.”

Bell said Doody — now LIFT's vice president for direct services — has “turned her pain into passion, utilizing every tool and resource available to keep other women and girls from remaining trapped in systematic gender-based violence.”

She has helped many women exit the life, Bell said, and also provides re-entry support in jails to help women avoid falling back into bad situations.

“Every day I wake up excited. I’ve honestly never felt that before,” said Doody, who oversees Jana’s Place, a LIFT residential treatment facility, and HARBOR, its “zero-barrier” shelter.

Doody also works with women offered court diversion, earning high praise, Bell noted, from prosecutors.

“Her dedication is unmatched, her opinion is valued and she is the missing link between the women needing help and bringing their needs to our attention,” Bell quoted Worcester Assistant District Attorney Edward Karcasinas Jr. as saying.

'Above and beyond'

Addo, the Young Woman of Consequence recipient, was hailed by the Advisory Committee as a prolific volunteer and student athlete.

In addition to serving as team manager for the varsity basketball team and being on the varsity volleyball squad, Addo gives back to the community in many ways, they noted.

She volunteers to teach Union Hill School students how to swim, and has led donation drives for food, supplies, clothes, events and meals for people dealing with homelessness.

“Her most memorable contribution was the Holiday Wishes Drive, where she and others provided toys and essential items to 150 elementary school students,” the committee noted.

In her speech Wednesday, Addo said she was most struck by how many kids asked not for flashy toys, but for living essentials like toothbrushes and soap.

Helping others is important, Addo said, not only for those receiving, but also for those giving.

“I just like to feel helpful,” she said afterward as she stood next to family members.

Addo’s mother Marianna Islam - a longtime community organizer for racial justice and other grassroots causes - said Addo came to doing good on her own.

“She figured out her own path,” Islam said proudly.

“Even when she was little, she was always going above and beyond,” an aunt, Rumianna Islam, recalled.

Addo, a graduate of Forest Grove Middle School, Jacob Hiatt Magnet School and Gentle Circle Learning Center, plans to pursue a degree in information technology studies and management at Syracuse University.

She said that while she does not seek recognition for good deeds, she was appreciative of and humbled by the award.

Mayor, senator speak

Also speaking at Wednesday’s event were Mayor Joseph M. Petty and state Sen. Robyn Kennedy, D-Worcester.

Petty congratulated both recipients for their work and emphasized the importance of the Advisory Committee to the city.

Kennedy saluted both women for leading with compassion — a quality she opined was the most important any leader can have.

“Compassionate leaders recognize none of us should be judged by our worst mistakes or the worst moment in our lives,” she said.

Kennedy — after lamenting that she is only the 226th woman elected to the state’s Legislature — said equity will be her lodestar on Beacon Hill, especially for women of color, criminalized women and others routinely marginalized in society.

Kennedy took a moment to thank her predecessor, longtime state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, who she said embodied the fight for equity.

“A champion for all women,” Kennedy remarked of Chandler, who was named a Woman of Consequence in 1998.

Kennedy said she was thrilled to see Addo honored, noting she has worked closely with her mother in the past.

“I look forward to seeing you empower others,” she told Addo.

Kennedy lauded Doody as someone who “continuously shows true, compassionate leadership in carrying the pain of trauma and still seeking ways to deeply strengthen others experiencing trauma’s lasting impacts.”

Friends and family of Doody also admired her mettle, with her sister, Casey Jolin, saying it was impossible to put the depth of her achievement into words.

Desiree Demos, senior director of community-based programs at LIFT, credited Doody as her mentor.

“Under Audra’s leadership I was given every opportunity to grow into the potential that I thought life had surely beaten out of me,” she said. “The snowball effect of Audra’s compassion and leadership is seen throughout our organization and throughout the city.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: From 'lost and broken' to Woman of Consequence — LIFT VP among two honored by city