NASHVILLE, TN — The YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee hosted a breakfast meeting inviting some of Nashville’s most influential male leaders to discuss stopping domestic violence. Tuesday’s breakfast was another of the YWCA efforts to continue its work to engage men in our community to become part of the solution in ending all violence against women and girls in Middle Tennessee.
The YWCA also took the opportunity to announce the rebranding of its Engaging Men program during the Oc- tober 12th meeting at the Bridgestone Arena. The MEND initiative is an effort to reduce violence against women and girls by elevating awareness, engaging men and educating young men and boys about the epidemic of domestic violence. MEND is the culmination of the work the YWCA has done over the past two years.
“The name is very deliberate. It combines “men” and “end,” because the end of violence against women starts with men,” said YWCA President and CEO Pat Shea. “MEND empowers mentors to become positive role mod- els for young men, and provides the tools young men need to mend our culture.”
Tennessee State University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dana Ford, ESPN journalist Paul Kuharsky and retired Tennessee Titan Brad Hopkins shared their personal stories of why stopping domestic violence is an issue they have elected to support before an audience that included the city and state’s top law enforcement officers—Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson and TBI Director Mark Gwyn.
The event was co-hosted by Butch Spyridon, Frank Daniels III, and Howard Gentry, and was sponsored by the JP Morgan Chase and hosted by the Nashville Preda- tors. Tennessee Titans General Manager Don MacLach- lan, joined by player Andy Levitre and Director of Player Engagement Tre’ Stallings, donated $50,000 to the MEND initiative from The Tennessee Titans Foundation. Preda- tor’s President/COO Sean Henry invited all in attendance to join him that evening to watch the Predators play. In attendance were a number of the region’s key business and community leaders including Don Abel, Charles R. Bone, Yuri Cunza, David Fox, Tony Majors, Colin Reed, Steve Tuner, and Tom Negri, to name a few.
“Cities that have not addressed high crime have suffered economically. TV programs that show crime in Bal- timore, Memphis and New Orleans don’t help tourism and business relocation like the positive aspects of a show like Nashville,” said Co-Chair Gentry. “You should care about it socially, but if not, then care about it from a business standpoint.”
The YWCA, along with Sullivan Branding, has created a new Facebook page to engage the community and a dedicated web landing page where individuals can sign up to be a part of the MEND initiative.
Over the next three years, the YWCA will enlist 100 men leaders from Nashville to join the efforts. The YW- CA’s goal is to engage 500 coaches, reaching through them more than 8,000 young men and boys. The YWCA believes it is through the education of these young men that we can permanently change the culture of our com- munity to become a place where all women and girls are valued and safe.
The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
For more information, visit www.ywcanashville.com