Suffolk County Police have arrested a Brentwood man for allegedly driving while ability impaired by drugs and reckless driving following a motor vehicle crash that critically injured a police officer on Jan. 5.
Officer Brendon Gallagher
Highway Patrol Officer Brendon Gallagher was conducting a traffic stop on westbound Long Island Expressway, near exit 55, when the operator of a 2021 Ford Mustang sped past the officer. Officer Gallagher, who is a member of the recently created Street Takeover Task Force, activated lights and sirens in an attempt to pull the driver over, when the operator of the Mustang lost control of the vehicle and sideswiped the police vehicle. The patrol unit left the roadway and overturned at approximately 6:10 p.m. The Mustang also went off the road and struck a light post.
The operator of the vehicle, Cody Fisher, was apprehended by an off-duty Nassau County Police Officer who was passing at the time of the incident. Gallagher was taken via police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition with a torn aorta and split abodmen. He is currently on life support.
Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He was released and charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Assault 2nd Degree, Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle 2 nd Degree and Reckless Driving. He is being arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on January 6.
Suffolk County Police cited two drivers for an illegal speed contest and reckless driving in Islandia on Jan. 5.
Members of the Suffolk County Police Street Takeover Task Force observed two Mercedes Benz sedans traveling eastbound on the LIE, near Exit 58, weaving in and out of traffic at speeds in excess of 100 mph at 8:45 p.m. Officers safely stopped both vehicles and cited their drivers, Dean Carfora, 24, of Lloyd Harbor, and Matthew Famighette, 24, of West Babylon, for Illegal Speed Contest, Reckless Driving, and multiple Vehicle Traffic Law and Suffolk County Law violations.
They will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on January 24. Both vehicles, 2024 Mercedes Benz 4-door sedans, were seized.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Jan. 3 that Munim Raghid, 26, of Ronkonkoma, was arrested on January 2 by members of the District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) and charged with one count of alleged animal cruelty and four counts of alleged criminal contempt in the second degree.
The defendant had been previously charged with animal cruelty, in December 2024, for neglecting a Kangal Shepherd to the point of its alleged emaciation. In connection with that case, which is still pending in Suffolk County District Court, the Honorable Judge Evan Zuckerman had ordered that the defendant not be allowed to possess any animals during the course of the prosecution. Nonetheless, BEAST investigators allegedly found him to be in possession of three additional Kangal Shepherds, including two puppies, which were immediately seized pursuant to a search warrant. Tragically, one of the puppies was severely injured at the time of his discovery.
“I created my BEAST investigative team for a reason,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We will pursue every act of animal cruelty reported to us and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
The current investigation started when a Good Samaritan observed an injured puppy lying in a roadway on New Years Eve. The puppy appeared to have been recently struck by a car and could not use its legs. The Samaritan wrapped the puppy in a blanket and raced it to Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists, an emergency hospital. The puppy was evaluated and found to have severe injuries to its back legs. Meanwhile, the Good Samaritan returned to the area where the puppy was found and started knocking on doors to identify the owner. The house immediately adjacent to where the puppy was found was the defendant’s. When he was notified that his puppy was hit by a car and brought to the veterinary center, he allegedly went to retrieve it. At this point in time, the defendant, due to another pending prosecution, was under a Court Order not to possess or have custody or control over any animals.
The defendant allegedly went to Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists, where he was advised by medical staff that the animal had severe injuries and should not leave. Nonetheless, the defendant allegedly removed the puppy against medical advice that evening, just before midnight.
Upon learning of this event, BEAST investigators responded to the defendant’s home on New Years Day. When they were not allowed access, they returned with a search warrant. During the course of their search, three animals, including the injured puppy, were allegedly recovered. The injured puppy, per the allegations, was not provided with any veterinary care for what was later determined to be a fractured pelvis and leg fractures. These injuries will require the puppy to undergo extensive surgery.
On the new case, the defendant has been charged with one count of animal cruelty, as a class A misdemeanor, for allegedly permitting the puppy to suffer without adequate veterinary care, and four counts of criminal contempt in the second degree, as a class A misdemeanor, for violation of Judge Zuckerman’s court order. He is scheduled to be arraigned on these charges on January 3, 2025.
The defendant surrendered both puppies to law enforcement at the time of seizure. They are both available for adoption through the Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter. However, the one puppy must first undergo significant rehabilitative surgery for its injuries.
Through the District Attorney’s previously announced working agreement with Fund for Animal Cruelty Treatment of Suffolk, Inc. (FACTS), FACTS has pledged to contribute to the veterinary care of the injured puppy. To find out more about how FACTS helps victims of animal cruelty, and how the public can help this puppy, please visit https://factssaves.org/.
Both cases against the defendant are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kelsey Ferris of the District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team, and the investigation was conducted by Detectives Joanna Westrack and Elizabeth Tomlin of the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad.
Photo courtesy of Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation
The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation is pleased to announce it has donated a total of $8,098,574 in grants to historic organizations across Long Island and beyond during calendar year 2024. Grant recipients were recognized during two rounds of awards luncheons hosted by the Smithtown Historical Society in June 2024 and Old Westbury Gardens in December 2024. Grants will be used by a variety of Long Island historic sites to fund initiatives ranging from educational programs and exhibitions to publications, scholarships, and construction and renovation projects.
Recipients of the First Round 2024 Grant Awards are:
Association of Public Historians of NYS
Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation
Caumsett Foundation, Inc.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society
Fraunces Tavern Museum
Greater Westhampton Historical Museum
Long Island Children’s Museum
Long Island Library Resource Council, Inc. – Long Island and NY State History Day
Long Island Museum of American Art History and Carriages
Long Island Seaport and Eco Center
Montauk Historical Society
New York University
Queens Museum
Waterfront Museum
Whaling Museum & Education Center
Recipients of the Second Round 2024 Grant Awards are:
Friends of Raynham Hall, Inc.
Jewish Historical Society of Long Island
Long Island Library Resource Council, Inc. – Long Island History Day
Long Island Maritime Museum
Nassau County Museum of Fine Art
New York Historical Society
Sag Harbor History Museum
The Church
The Cooper Union
The following organizations received grants as part of the Gardiner Foundation’s new Challenge Match Grant program. The program recognized each organization’s fundraising efforts by matching up to $10,000 raised for new offerings during 2024.
Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, Corp.
Fireboat Firefighters Museum
Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries
Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson
Historical Society of Islip Hamlet
Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society
Mattituck Laurel Historical Society
Miller Place Mount Sinai Historical Society
North Sea Community House
Oyster Bay Railroad Museum
Quogue Historical Society
Rocky Point Historical Society and Museum
Victor D’Amico Institute of Art
Wading River Historical Society
The Gardiner Foundation also awarded $1,600 to each of 35 historic organizations for employing young people as part of the 2024 Gardiner Young Scholars Program. To learn more about the program, visit https://www.rdlgfoundation.org/news/77.
“Fulfilling the historic educational vision of Bob Gardiner is a great privilege for our Board and all at the Foundation,” said Kathryn M. Curran, Executive Director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
ABOUT THE ROBERT DAVID LION GARDINER FOUNDATION
The mission of the Foundation is to educate, cultivate and encourage the study and understanding of Long Island and New York’s historic role in the American experience. The Foundation also supports scholarships and historic preservation, including study, stewardship and promotion of Long Island’s historic educational aspects. The Foundation was established by Robert David Lion Gardiner in 1987. Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island, NY. The Island was obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England in 1639. The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner’s Island for 385 years. The Island remains private and is owned and maintained by direct Gardiner descendants to this day. The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation remains inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s personal passion for Long Island and New York history. Since 2015, the Foundation has awarded over $45 million to support historical societies, museums, archives, research, scholarships and renovation, restoration and adaptive reuse of historic sites.
Vice President Ann Pellegrino by one of the farm’s raised gardens. File photo
By Sabrina Artusa
Ann Pellegrino is a busy woman. Between the Bethel Hobbs Community Farm, a nonprofit farm she built herself and describes as “more than a full-time job,” and her appointments speaking at local hospitals about the life-changing effects of organ donation, it was difficult to schedule a time to talk. However, she made sure to make time to talk to me about what she describes as her calling.
In 2007, Pellegrino was in her car and noticed people in the woods hungry and homeless. The unfortunate sight ignited a passion she didn’t know she had — a passion that would be tested by the skepticism of others and the practical challenges of developing a farm without experience.
She became certain what she was meant to be doing, that the vacant lot of loose, barren dirt — a collection ground for the unwanted and disposed — could become something nourishing and productive with the proper care.
It started with a fence
After first ripping up her own lawn, intending to farm fresh vegetables to use in her own home (much to her husband’s dismay), Pellegrino had the idea to renovate the Bethel Hobbs land. For decades the land was farmed by the Hobbs family before ultimately falling into unuse after the death of Alfred Hobbs.
Pellegrino received permission from the Bethel African American Episcopal Church to work on 50 x 50 acres, which then became 50 x 100. Her unwavering confidence in the project was intriguing, and as she began the work, increasing numbers of community members began offering support.
“There was something inside of me that was giving me the drive to do it. If you didn’t do it you couldn’t sleep. They still think I’m crazy but they come and help now,” Pellegrino said.
Once a single mother herself, Pellegrino knew that food pantries have a hard time finding good produce. Most of the produce that was donated was damaged, over-ripe or rotten. The plot of neglected land was the perfect opportunity to change that.
Her father offered fencing, which piqued the interest of nearby residents who then asked Pellegrino about her plan. One neighbor offered his hose, another offered sprinklers. Previously, Pellegrino had been transporting water in her car. “This little vacant land with a fence going around it and a hose leading from across the street” was becoming something real.
Pellegrino’s contagious enthusiasm for helping others inspired their own generosity, just as their generosity inspired Pellegrino. “I feel blessed to be even a small part of our community,” she said.
And the community has shown that they feel the same way about the farm. Bethel Hobbs Community Farm hosts a plethora of events such as the annual “Run the Farm,” dances and breakfasts, not to mention, volunteers enjoy serving others as well as gardening on a beautiful day.
“It is a great area for people to get together as far as a community hub is concerned,” said Lenore Paprocky, president of the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce.
“Her nature is such that she is a servant to her community and that comes naturally to her. For all these reasons you can’t help but become endeared to her,” said Paprocky, who has collaborated with Pellegrino in the past. “She is kind, giving, sincere, and genuine. We need more people like her.”
The late Peter Castorano, was invaluable in the development of the farm. Pellegrino describes him as her best friend. “My granddaughter was his granddaughter,” she said, emphasizing his importance to her and her family.
Castorano died last year and always described himself as “Ann’s right hand man.”
Organ donation
In addition to the farm, Pellegrino speaks regularly at hospitals, offering encouragement to exhausted nurses and speaking on the life-changing effects of organ donation. She starts speaking during winter months while the farm is closed.
At 19, Pellegrino’s son Christopher was paralyzed in a car accident. For seven years afterward, Christopher would speak at schools about the importance of wearing seatbelts; he would pursue his college degree in the hopes of getting involved with alcohol and drug rehabilitation; and he would try to change lives, like his mother.
“His attitude was that if he could help save one life it is worth it,” Pellegrino said of her son, who passed on Christmas Eve in 2018.
Pellegrino decided to honor his memory by pursuing his goal of helping save lives. She goes to hospitals and shares her son’s statement, something that she enjoys. “I get to celebrate him,” she said. Three men live on because of the gifts Pellegrino’s son made through organ donations.
Moreover, she extends support to the staff. “This time of year I don’t want them to feel like they were forgotten and it’s not a thankless job. Letting them know what they do matters and it really counts,” she said.
Paprocky describes Ann as quiet, thoughtful and eager to befriend anyone who shows an interest in service; a woman who exemplifies what it means to be a community leader; a true person of the year. It is for all of these accomplishments that Ann Pellegrino is a 2024 TBR New Media Person of the Year.
Lenore Paprocky, president of the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce has been named Person of the Year for 2024 by TBR News Media for her exceptional leadership, advocacy, and commitment to strengthening the local business landscape.
Since taking the helm of GMCCC in 2020, Paprocky has been a driving force behind the chamber’s initiatives. Her leadership has not only propelled the chamber to new heights, but has also made it a vital resource for local businesses.
The GMCCC, which serves the Middle Country area, including the towns of Centereach, Selden, Lake Grove and surrounding communities, represents a broad spectrum of industries. Under Paprocky’s stewardship, the chamber has expanded its services, increased its outreach and has become a central figure in the area’s economic development.
By championing initiatives that support workforce development, business growth and entrepreneurship, Paprocky has helped create a more robust and resilient ecosystem in the local community. She has also worked closely with local municipalities and organizations to ensure the Middle Country businesses have access to resources and opportunities that can help them expand and thrive.
Karen Roth, REMAXagent and chamber board member, first met Paprocky when she started attending the board meetings, and felt an immediate connection. “I love her,” says Roth, “because she listens to the board members’ ideas and makes things happen.”
One of those ideas was to have the chamber host an annual music festival. Working closely with elected officials, Paprocky managed to get a grant that covered the expenses for putting the festival together. Last year, the music festival was host to over 1,000 attendees, making it the largest turnout for events the chamber has ever had. This year’s festival was held in April.
Since 2008, she has been on the Smithtown Industry Advisory Board and works with Smithtown High School students in a mentoring program she started that gets students ready for college and the working world.She says, “I love to mentor and help people succeed.”
Seeing a need to continue mentoring the youth in her community, Paprocky formed a partnership with the Holiday Inn and initiated a hospitality-driven internship program for college students, showing them how each department in an organization needs to work together in order for the company to grow, thrive and run effectively and efficiently.
This commitment to community engagement and mentoring has helped raise the profile of the GMCCC as not just a business entity, but also a pillar of the greater Middle Country area.
Paprocky’s leadership has not only benefitted the Middle Country Chamber of Commerce, but has also inspired others to take an active role in supporting their localcommunities. Under Paprocky’s leadership, there is no doubt that the work she has done to date will continue to shape the regions’ economic future.
In addition to her job at the chamber, Paprocky is also the director of business development at Synergy Wealth Strategies in Smithtown, and recently co-founded Spheres of Influence, a nonprofitorganization that helps business professionals grow their business, while supporting local nonprofits at the same time. Through this initiative, she helps grassroots organizations raise their visibility and secure the funds needed to continue making a positive impact in the community.
Doreen Newman, a co-worker at GMCCC says, “Lenore brings a wealth of knowledge and energy to every endeavor. Her unstoppable spirit and ever-present smile are a testament to her commitment. She gives 110% to every project she undertakes, and she does it all with warmth and resilience.”
Seeing a need in the community for women business owners, Paprocky created a Women’s Power Hour series where once a month, women meet local professionals in the area to make new connections and discuss important topics affecting them.
Roth says Paprocky is known for her relentless dedication. “Lenore seeks out new prospects, elevates brand awareness and manages all events with her signature enthusiasm and professionalism. Her passion for fostering meaningful connections is evident in everything she does.”
Paprocky was recognized for her efforts by being awarded Employee of the Year from Suffolk County Community College Education Advancement Center, as well as Volunteer of the Year and Member of the Year, consecutively. As an influential business leader, she was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business on Long Island, as well as being awarded Long Island Business News Corporate Citizen of the Year.
In naming Lenore Paprocky as Person of the Year, the recognition not only celebrates her past accomplishments, but also her vision for the future. Her tireless advocacy, leadership and dedication to the community, make her a true champion for local businesses and residents. She is a role model for others in the community, inspiring growth, innovation and unity for years to come.
When asked what her biggest accomplishment is to date, Paprocky smiles and proudly says, “raising my daughter.”
While helping to feed Long Islanders, two local Meals on Wheels groups are also the eyes, ears and friends of those in need of assistance.
Comprised of 5,000 community-based programs, Meals on Wheels is a national network that is dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation.
Smithtown
The Smithtown Meals on Wheels program, located within the Senior Center in the Smithtown township, provides a daily hot meal delivered directly to the homes of residents age 60 and over.
According to Tina Pfennig, supervising community service aide with the Senior Center’s Meal on Wheels program, more than 40 volunteers help deliver hot meals to 90 clients weekly. Every day, volunteers will pick up the food, donated by a local Lake Grove deli, and deliver to the client’s home. Each entrée comes with milk, juice, fruit, bread and sometimes dessert.
“We have some people who have been with the program long-term and some occasionally come on for a short period,” she added.
This year, the group celebrated its 45th anniversary.
But Pfennig said that the program would not run if it weren’t for the people who help out every morning and afternoon.
“Annually, we have a volunteer appreciation luncheon to show how much we appreciate them,” Pfennig said.
She said that out of the roughly 40 volunteers, a few have been with the group for more than 20 years. Some have been volunteering for 10 years and others 15. They’re still receiving applications for new drivers to come on board.
“Thankfully people are always applying and we’re very grateful,” she said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have a program.”
Kim Cunningham, senior neighborhood aide, said that while the main role of the Meals on Wheels volunteers is to drive the food to each client’s house, they’re also looking out for them.
“If a client isn’t feeling well or there are other concerns, we make sure we follow through with their emergency contact,” Cunningham said. “They’ll have conversations with them and often become their friends.”
Along with the drivers, Cunningham and Pfennig noted that other volunteers who make this program possible are the kitchen staff who help package the food to give to the drivers.
Like an assembly line, the tasks are “done efficiently, organized and in a timely fashion.”
Pfennig added that some former volunteers have now become clients, themselves.
“We’re returning the favor and making sure they get healthy food, too,” she said.
Three Village
While not directly affiliated with the national brand of Meals on Wheels, the Three Village organization is similar in that it provides healthy food to people of any age as long as they’re homebound due to medical concerns.
According to their website, clients are the elderly or disabled who, due to immobility and isolation, are unable to prepare their own meals and referrals are made by doctors, social service agencies, hospitals, neighbors, family members or the clients themselves.
Ruth Spear, office manager of the Three Village Meals on Wheels, said that they charge $7.50 a day for two meals, one hot and one cold. If a client has concerns about payment, they can apply for a subsidy and that’s funded by a big fundraiser and donations throughout the year.
Similar to other Meals on Wheels programs, food is prepared at Mather Hospital and St. Charles in Port Jefferson. Then, 130 volunteers pick up the meals and deliver to clients all over Northern Brookhaven — Stony Brook, Setauket, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, northern parts of Coram and Selden. In 2023, 28,000 meals were delivered.
“We are so appreciative of the staff at St. Charles and Mather because if it weren’t for them, we’d have to figure something else out,” Spear said.
Each driver also creates that friendship with the client and acts as the eyes and ears of family who can’t be there to check in on their loved ones.
“If the driver gets to the door and a client doesn’t pick up the phone or answer, we’re going to call the emergency contact,” she said. “There are so many people who don’t see one human being all day or all week, so our drivers are the only people they’re seeing and being lonely is a terrible thing.”
Spear said that the beauty of the organization is that friendships are formed and people often become attached to one another.
“That’s what I’m most proud of … The drivers really care about the clients,” she said. “If everyone can just help people in the community just a little bit, it can go a long way. It’s so gratifying and it’s a great feeling.”
For their volunteerism and dedication, all the volunteers of the local Meals on Wheels groups have been named TBR News Media 2024 People of the Year.
Paul Braile’s volunteer commitments keep him constantly busy exemplifying his dedication to his community. Whether running Santa Claus Central at the First Methodist Church or managing work for the Port Jefferson Charles Dickens Festival, Braile’s packed schedule reflects his extraordinary commitment to volunteerism and his gift for bringing people together.
Braile has worked in theatrical stage lighting since 1995 on projects for television, movies, theater and corporations including the Super Bowl, Glee and the CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2001, he moved from New York City to Port Jefferson Village and founded Paul Braile Creative, a company specializing in innovative lighting design.
His volunteer work began in 2005 with the Greater Port Jefferson/Northern Brookhaven Arts Council where he provided lighting for the Charles Dickens Festival. Each year since (with the exception of 2020), Braile has illuminated 16 locations across the village creating magical displays for the community. Today, he serves as the vice-chair of the Arts Council.
Chair of the Council Allan Varela described Braile’s “creative sense and tireless work ethic” as unparalleled, citing his reconstruction of the Roe House Santa’s Workshop. Renamed ElfWorks, the project has become a beloved attraction delighting children and adults alike.
Beyond the Dickens Festival, Braile extends his talents to other community events. He creates lighting for the Port Jefferson High School prom where he also served as president in 2024. Introduced to the prom in 2005, Braile continues to help transform parents’ ideas into reality saying, “It’s all about community and what one can do that can make a difference.”
Braile’s influence goes beyond his artistry. Jon Famularo, a lighting designer who credits Braile with inspiring his career, described him as a mentor since middle school. Famularo praised Braile’s high-quality work and dedication saying, “Regardless if you know him or not, most everyone who sees the product he delivers is blown away.”
Port Jefferson Village Trustee Kyle Hill remarked that Braile’s imagination and creativity “know no limit” while Renee Lemmerman, director of recreation in Port Jefferson, described him as “kind, generous, creative, funny” and a “problem solver.” Co-worker Cindy Pipia added that Braile is a “visionary who strives to make all he brings to his volunteer activities better and better every year.”
Braile’s commitment to volunteerism stems from his love for his community. He describes Port Jefferson as “a community where strong friendships are born and continue to develop.” As for the future, Braile plans to continue volunteering, mentoring and contributing to the village he loves.
The Crime Victims Center Executive Director Laura Ahearn
By Daniel Dunaief
An advocate, defender, educator, legislative partner, social worker and attorney, Laura Ahearn is prepared to help during periods of extreme duress whenever needed.
Executive Director of the Crime Victims Center, Ahearn has secured orders of protection for abused women, accompanied victims to court, counseled high school students about inappropriate relationships and helped victims receive funds for survival.
For her work this year and every year for nearly three decades, Ahearn is one of TBR News Media’s People of the Year for 2024.
“I love Laura Ahearn,” said Kara Hahn, a former legislator who met Ahearn in 1999, and crafted legislation in 2015 requiring domestic violence agencies in the county to use the Jacquelyn Campbell risk assessment, to help victims understand the level of danger from abuse.
Hahn, who is currently the Deputy Regional Director for the Long Island region of New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, added that Ahearn is “one of the fiercest and most dedicated champions for the protection of children [among others] in this advocacy space and any advocacy space.”
Indeed, recently, Ahearn and the Crime Victims Center have been working with a particularly troubling case with children in a family that have endured trauma in their former home.
“When you’re dealing with child victims who are directly or physically impacted, or have witnessed it, a lot of planning goes into counseling and advocacy,” said Ahearn. “This case has impacted me more than any other case in my entire career, which is pushing 30 years.”
Most of the 40 people involved in the Crime Victims Center, which originally started out in a room in Ahearn’s home and was called Parents of Megan’s Law, have been affected by the case.
The team is working on behalf of these children, helping them with educational and counseling programs, as well as working with law enforcement.
Ahearn has brought her advocacy, messaging and support to people in numerous contexts.
“The thing you might say about [Ahearn] is that [her help] is not just from a social work position,” said Kathleen Monahan, Associate Professor in the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University. “She’s attacking this from all different levels, from the health care perspective, from law and policy issues, treatment and from the mental health perspective.”
Ahearn not only received a Master’s in Social Work from SUNY Stony Brook, but she also earned a Juris Doctor from Touro Law, where she graduated at the top of her class.
Educational messaging
After discussing relationship violence with students, the Crime Victims Center has fielded phone calls from attendees.
“We had a call from a teenager in high school, who was unhappy with a forced kiss. She saw our program and wanted to know if that’s okay,” said Ahearn.
The CVC has also worked with students and school administrators to help recognize efforts to lure girls into prostitution.
These children “were being groomed by a person running a human trafficking ring,” said Ahearn. They came to school with expensive purses and shoes they couldn’t otherwise afford.
“If we have our eyes wide open, educating kids as young as middle schoolers, administrators and parents can protect these potential victims,” she continued.
Financial help
The Crime Victims Center has helped victims of sexual assault and domestic violence recover funds from the Office of Victim Services, which is the payer of last resort.
Victims who are cooperating with law enforcement and who have eligible expenses, which can include out of pocket medical and counseling costs or even funerals, can receive funds to pay for some of those expenses.
In an assault, if someone has their clothing damaged or their clothing is taken into evidence, the survivor provides the center with receipts for a replacement for the damaged property.
The Crime Victims Center has helped facilitate the return of nearly $8 million since it first started working on behalf of victims from the Crime Victim’s Fund, in the Office of Victim Services.
The center has helped families recover thousands of dollars in lost wages after the primary breadwinner in a household was hit in a driving while intoxicated incident.
Leading
In addition to helping victims, Ahearn leads virtual meetings during sexual assault awareness month and domestic violence awareness month.
This past October, Ahearn had just introduced Dr. Hirsch Handmaker, CEO of The CACTIS Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona during the third-annual, virtual domestic violence awareness month conference.
Handmaker was in a hospital where a fire alarm blared so loudly that he couldn’t hear the other attendees, much less focus on his discussion about traumatic brain injuries.
“She was so fabulous,” recalled Monahan about Ahearn’s response. “She handled that like water rolling off a duck’s back,” as Ahearn suggested an unscheduled break to allow Handmaker to clear the area.
Ahearn is a “beacon of light throughout the U.S. in highlighting the issue of sexual assault and domestic violence, and is one of the few individuals leading entities in collaborating and engaging law enforcement, social workers and healthcare providers,” Handmaker explained.
As an example of the awareness advocacy groups brought to law enforcement, Handmaker highlighted a change in the way police officers think about women who are wearing sunglasses.
Previously, officers might have suspected women were hiding their eyes because of drugs or other issues.
Instead, women with concussions often wear sunglasses to protect their eyes to avoid headaches caused by bright sunlight.
Handmaker started working with Ahearn this year. Ahearn has been coordinating with Monahan and Handmaker to create a concussion program with law enforcement. Ahearn is a “real champion in making that happen,” Handmaker said.
SAFE support
In addition to advocating for victims, supporting various legislation and running virtual conferences, Ahearn remains primarily focused on one task.
Ahearn “cares deeply about the outcomes for survivors,” said Wendy Linsalata, Executive Director of LI Against Domestic Violence, and a frequent collaborator with Ahearn.
Starting in Nov. of 2023, CVC partnered with Stony Brook University Hospital to have Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners ready to respond to any reports of a sexual assault.
Called SAFEs, these professionals are New York certified nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants or resident nurses.
Ahearn hopes that effort expands to ensure that these trained staff are available at every emergency department throughout Long Island.
From protecting Maggie to protecting herself
Ahearn’s reflex to protect others may have started when she was as young as 10 years old.
Laura Ahearn petting sled dogs on a trip to Alaska. Photo courtesy of Laura Ahearn
The owner of a dog named Maggie, Ahearn and her friend brought their two dogs near one another. When her friend’s territorial dog snapped at Maggie, Ahearn intervened and, to this day, has a scar on her arm.
Ahearn, whose current dog Jack comes to work as a companion and instant pet therapist, suggested that the advocacy field is rewarding, demanding and exhausting.
“Sometimes, there are cases that take a little part of you, and a piece of your soul withers,” said Ahearn, such as the recent case with the abused children. “You must take action to replenish that area.”
To do her best for the staff and those she supports, Ahearn relies on the encouragement of her family, the love of her dog, and the opportunity to travel.
Ahearn loves animals, including birds, and enjoys fishing. This year, she took a trip to Alaska, where she had a chance to pet sled dogs.
Ahearn, Linsalata and others in the victim advocacy world urge people to reach out to any of their organizations, or to authority figures, if they are abused.
“If in your gut, you have that feeling that something is wrong, don’t underestimate what you’re feeling or thinking,” said Linsalata.
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