Other LanguagesBELLEVUE…Attorney General Rob McKenna, a long-time supporter of the Eastside Domestic Violence Program and honorary co-chair for the 2006 Safe Passage Luncheon, received the organization’s Outstanding Leader of the Year award on Sept. 28.
Polly Miller, president of the EDVP Board of Directors, presented the award.
“As president of the board of directors, I continue to be amazed at the support we receive from community-minded individuals and their businesses,” she said. “The 2006 Outstanding Leader of the Year is presented to an individual who has shown inspirational leadership, has a staff that pioneers legislation that serves to protect domestic violence victims, personally volunteers thousands of service hours and has helped raise thousands of dollars to promote our cause and support our mission. Please join me in presenting the Outstanding Leader of the Year Award to Mr. Rob McKenna, Washington State Attorney General.”
McKenna and his wife, Marilyn, co-chaired the 2006 Safe Passage Luncheon. McKenna was one of the founders of the Safe Passage Luncheon and has chaired the luncheon committee since 1999.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for Marilyn and me to join you today, together as a community, to support the mission to end domestic violence,” McKenna said. “As Washington State Attorney General… my office protects consumers, defends state laws and makes it a priority to ensure all citizens are safe from abuse and neglect.”
With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, McKenna announced the appointment of Attorney General’s Office (AGO) Investigator Larry McKnight to the new position of AGO Domestic Violence Liaison. In this new role, McKnight will assess how the state as a whole is faring on domestic violence issues and develop a strategy for raising statewide awareness of the issue, particularly among men in our state.
McKenna also plans to pursue a legislative agenda that increases penalties for domestic violence and improves protection and confidentiality for victims.
The Attorney General’s commitment to domestic violence issues reaches back to his time on the King County Council, where he led the council in supporting a pledge created by the Seattle-based Men’s Network Against Domestic Violence, urging men to work on ending the cycle of domestic violence.
The goal of the Men’s Network Against Domestic Violence is to encourage men who are not abusers to start speaking out about the cycle of abuse and the role men have in creating attitudes that can cause violence against women to occur. Their pledge, which can be downloaded from www.menagainstdv.org/pledge, encourages men to:
- Acknowledge domestic violence as a problem all men must work on.
- Be conscious that domestic violence is a serious social problem.
- End the silence about the effect domestic violence has on women and children.
- Commit to making the changes needed to end domestic violence.
- Seek out and support organizations committed to ending domestic violence.
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Contact: Janelle Guthrie, AG Media Relations Director, (360) 586-0725