Bridgeport, CT – The Center for Family Justice (CFJ) is hosting its 4th annual “Speaking of Men” breakfast on Thursday, November 10th at 8 a.m. at the Trumbull Marriott. This annual event will feature Emeka Nnaka, a motivational speaker, mental health therapist, and leading advocate for hope, as the keynote speaker. He brings a message of determination, inspiration, and hope to audiences of all ages.
Emeka is uniquely qualified to present life, its challenges, and its opportunities from the perspective of someone who found strength through tremendous adversity. Emeka has been featured on NPR's “All Things Considered,” where he discussed the Americans with Disabilities Act on its 25th anniversary for a national audience. His story has also been featured in other national publications such as The Mighty, The Washington Post, and TED talks. Additionally, Emeka has been a returning guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where he was recognized for his resilience through life’s challenges and service to the community.
This event is organized by The Center for Family Justice's White Ribbon Campaign. The White Ribbon Campaign is an initiative to end violence against women by engaging men and boys in the efforts to break the generational cycles of gender-based violence and abuse.
The Chairman of the White Ribbon Committee, Gary McNamara, said, “The purpose of the White Ribbon Campaign is to engage young men and help to prevent violence against women and girls. We want to get the message out and to cultivate relationships with men and boys to prevent them from becoming offenders.”
“Men should stand up against domestic violence and help foster positive influences in any type of relationships,” said Matthew Reale, Chairman of the Board of Directors at CFJ.
McNamara and Reale are working together with the White Ribbon Campaign to present the 4th Annual “Speaking with Men” event. The pair said they need to do all they can to stop violence in our community.
McNamara said, “I want to have impact. I had impact as the former Police Chief of Fairfield, I have impact at The Center for Family Justice, and you can have impact too. We can impact change. The White Ribbon Campaign is a really good way that we can change the lives of women and girls in our community.”
The Center for Family Justice’s services include the operation of a 24-hour crisis hotline, an emergency safe house for survivors of domestic violence as well as comprehensive supportive services for those seeking to rebuild their lives after trauma. These services include safety planning, support groups and self-sufficiency programs.
Camp HOPE America-Bridgeport is another program that CFJ offers for youth ages 7-17 impacted by the trauma of domestic or sexual violence.
For more information about “Speaking with Men,” please contact Lauren Cicchetti at 203-993-8135 or lcicchetti@centerforfamilyjustice.org.
About The Center for Family Justice
The mission of The Center for Family Justice is to break the cycle of domestic, sexual, and child abuse and violence by providing services that create hope, restore lives and drive social change through education and community collaboration.
Our vision is to end domestic and sexual abuse and violence in our communities.
We believe that:
· Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.
· Collaboration with our clients, partners and communities is vital to achieve individualized choice, success and empowerment.
· Trust is essential for our work in building self-sufficient survivors.
· Compassion and hope allow people to thrive and feel safe.
· Community education, awareness and outreach are essential to drive and maintain social change and justice.
For more information about The Center for Family Justice, visit www.centerforfamilyjustice.org or call (203)334-6154. CFJ is located at 753 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT and serves the towns of Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull.
24/7 Hotline Numbers:
· Domestic violence (203) 384-9559
· Sexual abuse (203) 333-2233
· Spanish (203) 568-8332