Local men are speaking out against domestic violence and it's all about awareness.

Local programs are hoping that putting a face on the message will not only help those who have already suffered, but also prevent future occurrences.

Hilltop-Latimer House is pushing the new campaign. Program coordinator Karla Kitzman says, "It's not a women's issue, it's not a men's issue, it's a community issue.

In 2010, over nine hundred cases of domestic violence were documented in Mesa County. That's almost three every day.

Now, there's a poster display at Mesa Mall that was launched to help get the word out. It is based on a billboard campaign that was promoted a few years ago. The billboards showed the signatures of prominent men around the country speaking out against domestic violence.

"We wanted to do it more personalized here," Kitzman says. "So we tweaked it to have a face to put with it. Many times, if you have a face to put with a statement or story, it takes on a whole new meaning."

The local campaign, called "Real Men Speak Out Against Domestic Violence" features pictures of well-known local men, declaring their stands against domestic violence. State Senator Steve King is among the men on the posters.

"With thirty plus years of law enforcement experience, I've seen, first-hand that domestic violence is a cancer that weakens a community, it weakens a community to its core," Senator King says.

"Any time that you have an opportunity to talk to the public, you have an opportunity to maybe reach out to victims of domestic violence and empower them in a way that they'll take action to change their way of life or the situation that they're in, I think that's a good thing."

Kitzman says that she hopes other organizations will pick up the torch once the display comes down at the mall at the end of the month.

"The more we keep this campaign alive, the more people will talk about it, the more people get help and the bigger difference we'll make."

For anyone interested in helping keep the display campaign going, please contact Mike Green of Hilltop at (970) 263-2124

For those who may be a victim of domestic violence, Hilltop-Latimer House has a crisis line: (970) 241-6701