Fifth Annual Father’s Day Pledge Event Recap

Southwest Pa Says No More hosted its largest gathering to date for the fifth annual Father’s Day Pledge event at U.S. Steel Tower. Prominent business, civic and community leaders and public officials demonstrated their commitment to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault before a crowd of hundreds – an inspiring call to action for our region.

“Today, 90% of men in Southwest Pennsylvania agree that they have role to play in ending violence against women and girls. But too few men have found a way to use their voice to say out loud the things they believe,” said Kristy Trautmann, executive director, FISA Foundation. “The Father’s Day Pledge is an invitation to men to speak up against domestic violence. It is an opportunity to … say aloud what we stand for, so that the people in our lives who have experienced violence know they can trust and depend on us. It’s an opportunity to learn how small individual actions like interrupting disrespectful jokes can be part of preventing abuse. We’re so proud of everyone who came to take a stand.”

This year, several of the region’s largest employers participated, including UPMC, Koppers, Ernst & Young LLC, PNC, KPMG, Schneider Downs and Highmark Health.

Rabbi Ron Symons, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh led the standing-room only crowd in a recitation of The Father’s Day Pledge. Following this, more than 20 corporate and community leaders stepped up and signed the Pledge.

“I’m proud to be a part of this event to help give a voice to domestic violence. It’s a topic that is often avoided, ignored or silenced. At KPMG, it’s a part of our core values to model respect,” said KPMG’s Mark Twerdok, office managing partner. “At the core, respecting an individual is a powerful tool that we practice daily.” More than 50 KPMG employees attended the pledge signing event.

Pittsburgh became the first city in Pennsylvania to participate in the Father’s Day Pledge in 2014, and the first downtown Pittsburgh public signing ceremony was held in the Allegheny County Courthouse Courtyard in 2015.

To date, more than 3,500 southwestern Pennsylvanians have signed the pledge online. Add your signature here.

Click here to watch the event via Twitter.