Coffee Among Men: A Discussion for Leaders in Our Community

Calling all men who would like to learn more about helping to make a positive impact on our community!

Saturday March 30^th

9:30am – 12:00pm

Coffee and networking to begin at 9:30, program to start at 10am.

2620 Southern Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA

Coffee Among Men is an effort to bring local men together to talk, learn, and to become a more empowered force against domestic violence and sexual assault in our community. This event will focus on education and prevention – exploring and defining masculinity and gender roles. To truly make strides in ending abuse, we must be focused on prevention as well as how to care for victims – whether man or woman. We see men as vital participants in these conversations, and see an opportunity to invite more men to take part in this important cause.

Hosted at Samaritan House office, men of all ages and professions are invited to join us for this important conversation, with local expert facilitators Brian Hawkins and Larissa Sutherland leading discussion. This is a FREE event, with breakfast and coffee provided.

Meet the Facilitators:

Brian S. Hawkins, M.S.W. is a native of Norfolk, Virginia, a father of four sons, foster father & godfather to many others. He is a graduate of Norfolk State University with a Master’s in Education and Counseling and Masters of Social Work. He is the Vice President of a local 501c3 organization, The African American Male Focus. This organization focuses on uplifting African American males and families through education, adjudication, health and employment. Mr. Hawkins is best known for his training, and for his development of Fatherhood Programs on a National level. The Social Work Professional Journal, 2002, selected his flagship program, Fathers In Training, as one of the best Fatherhood Programs in the nation. He was a recipient of the City of Virginia Beach’s Human Rights Commission Award, the City Manager Creativity Award & has been honored by Human Rights Advocacy Groups. Mr. Hawkins was the Consortium Chairman for the Hampton Roads Area Strengthening Families Initiative on Fatherhood until 2014. He is a Master Certified Trainer for The National Partnership for Community Leadership for Fragile Families, Co-developer and Program Coordinator for the award-winning program Fathers In Training and college professor in social work at Saint Leo University. Over 18 years Mr. Hawkins has trained over 8000 participants in the areas of anger management, conflict resolution, effective communication skills, locally and nationally. He has also worked with over 30 public and private organizations in creating father friendly work places.

For the past ten years, Larissa Sutherland has presented trainings and workshops on domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sexual assault, childhood trauma, and family homelessness to students, allied professionals, military members, faith communities and the general public. Since 2015, she has worked with hundreds of men through 18-week state certified batterers’ intervention programs, providing education on healthy relationships; personal responsibility; anger and stress management; the impact of substance abuse; and other related topics. In addition, she is a designated Domestic Violence Intervention Specialist through the National Advocate Credentialing Program and works as a victim advocate helping people navigate the criminal justice system. Larissa is particularly dedicated to the pursuit of social equality and to education programs focused on gender parity and the prevention of interpersonal violence.

Contact katherinea@samaritanhouseva.org to learn more.