Salinas ropes in a new awareness campaign that colors all of Sunday’s events purple.

The phone rings in the middle of the night. Kieran Donahue answers. A local couple is on the other end. They just returned home to find a neighbor on their steps, bruised and beaten.

She crawled out the window of her house but now could not move from injuries and exhaustion. Her husband had passed out from drinking, but could wake up and come looking for her at any moment.

Kieran, an Idaho sheriff, and his wife, Jeanie, were already appalled at the frequency of these middle-of-the-night calls reporting domestic violence. They had heard everything – violence to pets, frightened neighbors and injured or even murdered children.

But having it show up on the doorstep triggered something.

That night, Kieran went to the hospital to talk to the victim, who promptly reported she wanted nothing to do with law enforcement.

But Kieran stuck with it. After a few minutes of talking with him, the victim decided to report the crime. Kieran and Jeanie Donahue saw that the conversation allowed her to connect her individual situation to the larger issue. She was not alone. There were resources and people she could use for help. And by reporting it, she would encourage others to do the same, and a community could come closer to facing difficult realities.

The success of the conversation convinced Jeanie to help push domestic violence from a place of private shame toward more public healing.

The organization that emerged is called The Man Up Crusade, which partners with rodeos across the country. This year, The Man Up Crusade reappears at the California Rodeo Salinas after its 2014 debut.

The challenge is daunting. Domestic violence injures more women than anything else, period. More are hurt by an intimate partner or family member than by car accidents, muggings and rapes combined. Every day in the United States, three women and one man are killed by their lover.

The Donahues chose cowboys and cowgirls as spokespeople because they consider them the protectors of the American West they call home.

Cheryl McCormick, executive director at the YWCA Monterey County, thinks the tough-guy context helps.

“Rodeo is really a perfect venue for engaging men and boys, enabling men to encourage other men to be allies,” she says. “Encouraging men to be like, ‘Hey, I challenge you to reframe your views of women.’”

McCormick emphasized, though, that women are perpetrators too, and that men may need more encouragement to have open discussions about domestic violence that affects them.

“Being a man does not mean that you are not allowed to make yourself vulnerable,” she says, “and that you are not allowed to seek help.”

Tim O’Connor of Springville, California, who will compete in arena bullfighting events, in on board.

“It’s great, anytime we can bring [domestic violence] to the forefront and make people think,” he says. “It needs to be talked about, because it’s such a hard subject to speak on – it’s difficult for people to even admit it is a problem sometimes.”

O’Connor has worked with the Man Up Crusade before, wearing purple to support domestic violence awareness at a rodeo earlier this year. On Sunday, June 19, all rodeo participants – and a number of guests – will be wearing purple, the color of domestic violence awareness, just as pink is the color of breast cancer awareness. O’Connor says the cowboys share all the purple gear they own, so that everyone can be seen supporting the cause.

“BEING A MAN DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE YOURSELF VULNERABLE.”

The Man Up Crusade will host a booth with YWCA from 1-4:30pm on Sunday to answer questions and raffle off The Man Up Crusade’s silver belt buckle. (All proceeds for the raffle will go to the local YWCA.) McCormick says she received 11 direct referrals while manning last year’s booth for three and a half hours. Eleven more families in tough situations got help.

The Man Up Crusade focuses on rodeo as much for its popularity as for any cultural preferences. Each year, 30 million people across the country attend professional rodeo, drawing more spectators than the Professional Golfers Association tour. (They plan to expand to other sports.)

McCormick, who lives in Monterey, loves reaching her largest and most diverse audience of the year. “The rodeo attracts so many people from all parts of Monterey County and beyond,” she says. “So a person might not come to, say, a presentation I give, or one of our annual events, but they might attend the rodeo.”

O’Connor counts himself among those hopeful The Man Up Crusade will continue to gain momentum and encourage discussion and connectivity among visitors and participants.

“It’s a touchy subject and not very many people want to talk about that,” he says. “This helps.”

Domestic violence does not start or end with the California Salinas Rodeo, but the YWCA and The Man Up Crusade are working together to see that the conversation certainly continues.

For more, visit www.manupcrusade.com or ywca.org/montereycounty

YEEHAW PLOT TWISTS

Bronc and bull riders come ready for surprises – sudden kicks, violent lurches and hard falls in the arena, and shots of whiskey from fans at the bar. Plenty of surprises await visitors to this year’s California Rodeo Salinas as well. Some new highlights to look forward to:

Trick Riding Brothers and Sisters

The McMillan Family Trick Riders has drawn sold out crowds all over the U.S. with their array of crazy horse-top stunts. Five of the 10 siblings will appear in Salinas. They do handstands on stirrups, stand on their horses and hang beneath their bellies, among other tricks, all the while riding at a canter or faster.

Comic Book Branding

The new comic book-themed ad campaign for the California Rodeo Salinas calls us back to childhood heroes. Look out for the pop-style posters, one featuring a caped kid and the phrase “defeats summer boredom every time!” Cute, yet edgy. A suburban has also been driving around town for weeks, complete with a fully wrapped colorful design advertising “The Adventures of Cowboyman, starring in The Battle for the Buckle!”

Stunt Motorcycles

“Cowboy” Kenny rides motorcycles, not cows. He launches 40 feet in the air off ramps, and before he lands does backflips, corkscrews and can even completely lets go of his bike. This year, Kenny comes with two other team members, tripling the number of tricks to watch in one jump. Imagine three motorcycles and three backflips at the same time. You don’t see that at just any rodeo. He performs during main arena rodeo events.

Clowning Around

Jeff “Slim” Garner returns to California Salinas Rodeo with cowboy-centric standup spliced with specialty stunts – he rides an out-of-control yellow airplane-shaped car and lights an exploding barbecue.

Honoring History

The new Wall of Fame is finally up on the rodeo grounds after five years of work. It reaches 130 feet long and 8 feet high, creating space for every member of the California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame to be honored with permanent plaques. The rodeo is asking for donations to make the plaques and honor the legends and history of the annual event.

CALIFORNIA RODEO SALINAS. 4-9pm Thu-Fri, 10am-midnight Sat, 10am-4pm Sun. Salinas Sports Complex, Rodeo Grounds, 1034 North Main St., Salinas. $7-$20. 775-3100, www.carodeo.com