There is Still Time to Donate and Support the Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse Challenge #Sponsored

 Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with The Allstate Foundation and MomSelect. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Want to hear a startling statistic?  

"Domestic violence affects one in 4 women in their lifetime.

That's more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer combined.  Most people think only of physical abuse when they consider domestic violence. Yet, financial abuse happens in 98 percent of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to control a survivor."

In response to the staggering statistics, The Allstate Foundation created the Purple Purse program as a national symbol for domestic violence and financial abuse to raise awareness and get people to openly talk about this important issue. The program ignites fundraising for more than 140 national, state and local domestic violence organizations.  Allstate Foundation Purple Purse is asking you to join the Challenge to support a nonprofit near you. Supporters can visit PurplePurse.com to make a donation through today, October 3.  In addition to community/local contributions raised, The Allstate Foundation is investing nearly $650,000 in the Purple Purse Challenge - the more donations each nonprofit gets, the more it can compete for Allstate Foundation incentive funding.

To help bring this important program into the forefront, actress Kerry Washington has also lent her voice to the cause as their ambassador this year. 

She has designed a limited-edition purple purse, which will be distributed to help raise awareness. In addition, The Allstate Foundation is producing 80,000 purse tassels to attach to your favorite purse as a continual sign of support. Each tassel is attached to a removable card featuring one of five inspiring survivor stories, being sent to Purple Purse challenge participants and agents. 

Here is another scary stat for you...

"Two-thirds of Americans believe that domestic violence is a serious problem, yet just over 1 in 3 have ever talked about it. "

Having two girls of my own, and having seen a close friend in college being physically and emotional abused by a boyfriend, I want to do everything in my power to get the word out about domestic violence and how it affects both women and men.  Just hearing the statistic I just shared with you worries me, not just because of my girls, but also because I have been out of school for over 10 years now, and the statistics relating to domestic violence seem to be increasing and not decreasing.  We really need to work together to educate everyone and provide the necessary resources for those dealing with domestic violence personally or know someone who is, so that we can see less cases of domestic violence and even death a a result of this reported each year.  

Last year, during the Purple Purse challenge, I shared a personal story about my college friend and domestic violence (read it here), and was surprised to get an email from a young college student who had stumbled across my post.  She was looking online for support and resources as her roommate was being physically and emotionally abusive to her.  Not knowing what to do, and seeing how scared her roommate was, she knew she had to find the necessary resources to help her dear friend and ultimately save her life and break the cycle, as she was told that her roommate's mom was also dealing with the same situation, and wasn't trying to get out of it, as she felt stuck and alone.  In the email, the college student told me that she reached out to her local YWCA and their domestic violence counselor and was able to help her friend break free and get out of the violent situation she thought she would forever be stuck in or die from.  I followed up with her recently and was happy to hear that her friend is now engaged and happy, a far cry from the previous year.  

It was with the help of the Purple Purse Challenge, the resources they offered and how the folks at The Allstate company worked with bloggers like myself so that we could share about their challenge and our personal connection to domestic violence, that I feel one life was saved.  If we continue to talk about domestic violence openly, I know that in time the statistics will not be as startling as they have been, and more and more people will know where to turn for help for themselves and those they love, without feeling embarrassed or ashamed.

Allstate Foundation Purple Purse is making it fashionable to talk about domestic violence and the financial abuse that traps women in abusive relationships.  Funds raised will support life-changing financial empowerment services to help domestic violence survivors build safer lives for themselves and their families. Allstate Foundation Purple Purse aims to break the cycle of violence in our nation – one family at a time.

With your support, you can help ensure domestic violence survivors – likely someone you know – aren’t financially trapped in an abusive relationship by joining the Purple Purse Challenge. Open your heart and wallet to stand up for survivors and the organizations that serve them at PurplePurse.com.

In addition to being the landing page where you can join and make a donation to the Purple Purse Challenge, you will also find important tips and tools to help you recognize domestic violence and financial abuse, talk about it and end it, when you visit PurplePurse.com.  So, be sure to bookmark this page and share it with friends and family, and get them talking about domestic violence, which is affecting more and more people each year.  

Since 2005, The Allstate Foundation has invested more than $40 million across the country to help domestic violence survivors regain control of their finances and break free from abuse.  New evidence from the Center on Violence Against Women and Children at Rutgers University School of Social Work indicates that boosting a survivor’s financial literacy, skills and resources can create a path toward long-term safety and security for survivors. 

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.
 Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with The Allstate Foundation and MomSelect. All thoughts and opinions are my own.