About Voices of Men

Fox Valley Voices of Men is a bold movement in the Fox Cities and Oshkosh that is taking on the issue of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The effort encourages men to step up and "Take the Pledge" to help end violence against women and girls in our communities. Beyond taking the Pledge, the movement also encourages men to show their support and spread the word by actively participating in one or more of a wide variety of educational and other types of opportunities, activities and events developed and/or endorsed by Fox Valley Voices of Men.

OUR MISSION

Voices of Men is a group of Fox Valley men dedicated to changing the attitudes and actions of men & boys that contribute to the abuse of women & girls.

WHO WE ARE

In addition to the hundreds of individual men in our communities who have stepped up and taken the Pledge, Voices of Men works in partnership with many Fox Valley community agencies, including Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs, Reach Counseling Services, and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center.

Special thanks to the many initial funders and supporters of the Voices of Men initiative in the Fox Valley, including:

OUR STORY

In 2007, Harbor House Domestic Abuse Services, the Sexual Assault Crisis Center, Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, and Reach Counseling Services joined forces in an effort to clearly communicate the truth about men's violence against women. Together they brought a nationally acclaimed performance entitled Voices of Men to area high schools and community leaders. The one-man performances, featuring Ben Atherton-Zeman, use humor and celebrity male voice impressions to educate audiences about men's violence against women. Approximately 600 students and 130 community members participated in attending the performances. Building on this success, the four non-profit agencies sponsored a "Men's Summit" in October of that same year to garner the support of local men in affecting change in our own communities. This event led to the formation of Fox Valley Voices of Men by these local men, in continuing collaboration with the four non-profit agencies.

In 2008, the effort received a momentum boost through a community plunge by the Community Health Action Team (CHAT), led by ThedaCare, and the formation of a steering committee to begin the intensive planning for a community-wide, four-month initiative to launch throughout the Fox Cities and Oshkosh in January, 2010.