Men of Justice and Compassion to Hold Awareness Event in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — The group Men of Justice and Compassion will have an event this weekend to raise awareness of animal cruelty, bullying, and child abuse.

Building Better Men for an Elevated Utah will take place on Saturday, June 28, at the Salt Palace, 100 S. West Temple. It will go from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be free and open to the public.

Ed McCaffrey, who played for the Denver Broncos, and Shaky Smithson, who played for the University of Utah and Green Bay Packers, will be in attendance.

Lee Johnson, one of the founders and board chairman of Men of Justice and Compassion, said Smithson will talk to kids about bullying.

"We just want to encourage people to take these things more seriously," Johnson said.

The event will conclude with a dance party the same evening to raise money for the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Coalition). The entry fee for the dance is $10 and attendees should be at least 17 years old.

Although the organization is focused on men, Johnson said these issues involve both genders, and he encouraged men and women of all ages to attend the event. He said they are working on starting a separate organization for women, the Ladies of Justice and Compassion.

The Men of Justice and Compassion is a Utah-based nonprofit marketing organization dedicated to raising awareness of social issues.

The group focuses on 10 social conditions that it views as 10 "symbolic children," according to the website. The conditions are: animal cruelty, bullying, child abuse, domestic violence, drinking and driving, homelessness, littering, obesity, sexual assault, and stalking.

Johnson said as a student of sociology, he found that these are the things people don't like to talk about.

Although the group doesn't provide services to aid in solving these issues, it does fundraisers to support other organizations.

"The main purpose is to raise awareness about these 10 causes," said Johnson. "And we try to be a support system for the organizations that are actually providing services."

Originally Posted By Desert News