NEENAH — About 400 Fox Valley men will participate Tuesday in a new community initiative that aims to help end male violence against women and girls.

Fox Valley Voices of Men launches with a rally Tuesday morning at Bridgewood Hotel & Conference Center in Neenah. The new nonprofit was formed to increase awareness and education surrounding the issue so men no longer commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls.

“(Tuesday’s) kickoff is just the beginning,” said Dean Gruner, ThedaCare chief executive officer and Voices of Men co-chairman. “The hope is that the action menu shared at (Tuesday’s) event will start a chain reaction, activating an even-larger corps of men throughout the region to foster a positive change — one that promotes a culture of nonviolence and respect for women and girls that will help put an end to violence and family tragedies in our community.”

The ultimate goal is to nurture a generation of boys and men who change a culture, honor and respect women and girls, reject violence and encourage others to spread the message onto their peers and children.

“Research shows that one in every four women will experience domestic violence at some point in her life and that’s just not acceptable,” said co-chair Ray Appel, retired Neenah Police Chief. “We’re encouraging men to think of all of the incredible women in their lives and to pledge their support to help this initiative succeed in ending male violence against women.”

Keynote speaker Anthony Porter is an author and co-founder of A Call to Men, a national men’s organization that addresses domestic and sexual violence prevention and the promotion of healthy manhood.

Gruner and Appel are leading a large organizing committee that seeks to connect with men and teen boys throughout the region and encourage them to take a pledge against violence. The campaign will shed light on the common behaviors and thinking that can lead to violence against women and girls.

Fox Valley Voices of Men grew out of the leadership and continuing partnership of four local agencies committed to ending sexual assault and domestic violence against women and girls: Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs, Reach Counseling Services and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center-Fox Cities.

“The biggest thing is we’re not out there alone anymore,” said Kathleen Lhost, executive director, Sexual Assault Crisis Center. “For 30 years, grassroots women’s organizations have been trying to battle with this demon. To really resolve violence against women the men have to come on board. We have an amazing group of men. Nobody else has quite approached the problem the way these guys have decided to engage the community. It’s really exciting.”

Initial funders and supporters of the Voices of Men initiative include the Community Health Action Team (CHAT) led by: ThedaCare, J. J. Keller Foundation Inc.; Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region Inc.; Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Inc. and Willems Marketing.