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Jennifer Powell Graves speaks after receiving the Chain Breaker of the Year Award from the Chain Breaker Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to stopping the cycle of domestic abuse, during a ceremony in Orem on Thursday, April 4, 2013. Graves is the sister of Josh Powell, who killed himself and his two sons after being a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald

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Jennifer Powell Graves receives the Chain Breaker of the Year Award from the Chain Breaker Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to stopping the cycle of domestic abuse, during a ceremony in Orem on Thursday, April 4, 2013. Graves is the sister of Josh Powell, who killed himself and his two sons after being a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald

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OREM — Organizations raising awareness of toxic relationships and domestic abuse honored Jennifer Powell Graves, the sister-in-law to Susan Cox Powell, with its first Chain Breaker Award.

“What an incredible woman. I couldn’t make the choices she had to make,” said Joan Shippen, founder and president of the Chain Breaker Foundation.

Susan Powell disappeared from her home in West Valley City in 2009. Her husband, Josh Powell and his father, Steven Powell, were persons of interest. In 2011, Steven Powell was arrested on voyeurism and pornography charges in Washington. Shortly after, Josh Powell lost custody of the couples’ two young boys. In February 2012 during a supervised visit, he locked the social worker out of his house and killed his sons and himself by setting the house on fire.

Josh Powell’s sister spoke out against her father and brother and their abusive behavior during the 3-year investigation.

Shippen talked about her experience in working with Graves on a video with KSL about breaking the chain of domestic violence. Graves appeared somewhat abashed by the attention.

“I’m just an average person, just like you guys,” Graves said.

She said as a child she saw her father treat her mother increasingly poorly during their relationship.

“He was controlling and manipulative, and he was so angry all of the time and I don’t know why,” she said.

She said she believes abusive behavior can be addictive like pornography or drugs.

Hosted by the foundation at its Foundation House in Orem, the meeting was bittersweet and subdued.

Susan Powell’s parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, serve on the foundation’s advisory board but were not able to attend the presentation.

A box of tissues was passed through the small crowd of guests to wipe tears away after Jessie Funke finished a song named “Susan’s Song: A Dream Away” written by Camilyn Morrison.

KSL produced a short clip featuring Shippen and Graves and their plea to stop abuse.

The director for the Utah Office on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Ned Searle, introduced the speakers and said a few words about violence in intimate relationships.

“More women die each day in this country as a result of intimate partner violence. More women have been killed by an intimate partner in the last half century than all the United States soldiers killed in the Vietnam War,” Searle said.

Males perpetrate 95 percent of all serious domestic violence; 99.8 percent of those in prison convicted of rape are men, he said.

“Men need to become aware of the devastation and misery associated with violence, stop minimizing its seriousness, eliminate degrading stories in their conversations and quit allowing victims to be blamed when they are violated with violence. To begin the extinction of violence, men must take responsibility for its existence,” Searle said.

For more information, go to chainbreakerfoundation.com or susancoxpowellfoundation.com.