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.

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Taking Action Against Domestic Violence is Simple - Purple Purse: Pass It On #Sponsored

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

 

   Taking Action Against Domestic Violence is Simple - Purple Purse: Pass It On.

Have you ever been the victim of, or know someone close to you, of domestic violence?  Did you know that domestic violence affects one in four women in their lifetime? That's more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer combined.  The statistics are staggering, only about half of Americans say they would know how to help a victim of domestic violence."

Want to hear some more startling statistics about domestic violence?

•    Domestic violence happens more than 145 times each hour in the U.S. On average, three women die every day as a result.
•    Lacking financial knowledge and resources is the number one indicator of whether a domestic violence victim will stay, leave or return to an abusive relationship.

I have not personally experienced domestic violence, but know a few people who have, including a good from college.  It is true what they say about domestic violence, in that the victims don't like to talk about it, or reach out for help.  I wanted to share my college friend's story, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this month, in hopes that readers who are victims of domestic violence, or know someone who is, can seek out the help they need.   Domestic violence is not right and should not be tolerated -- so, please speak up today!

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During my third year in college, we moved from the dorms into apartment style living.  I went from having my own dorm room, to sharing an apartment with 6 other girls.  If you have never roomed with that many girls, then you are missing out! :-)  One of my roommates, we'll call her Susan, started dating a 4th year commuting student.  In the beginning, she would bring her boyfriend around to the apartment, and they would hang out with the other roommates watching television, having group dinners and playing card games.  But, when things started getting serious between them, he stopped coming around, and we saw less and less of her.  Six months into their relationship, she had moved out of our apartment and was living with him off-campus.  The few times we did she her, she was reserved and wouldn't say too much.  We could tell something was not right, as her personality was not of this nature.  She used to be full of life, bubbly and very talkative.  Now, when we saw her, we were lucky to pull a few sentences out of her.  And, questions about her relationship or boyfriend were off limits.

Again, domestic violence is not something we like to talk about, or hope to have to deal with personally or with someone close to us.  So, we continued to go to classes, live in the apartment, and continued to let Susan know, when we were saw her, that we were there for her.  Then, one night during mid-terms, I ran into Susan at the on-campus library.  She was dressed in a grey sweatshirt, baggy sweatpants and had on big sunglasses.  She couldn't stop shaking, and kept looking around, as if to see if someone was watching her.  I went over to talk to her, and ended up startling her.  After her heavy breathing subsided, I asked what was wrong.  Not expecting to get a response, I sat there, in hopes to provide comfort to her.  It took a while, but she finally opened up about what was going on.  She said that her boyfriend was physically and emotionally abusing her, and had been since the start of their relationship.  In the beginning, she thought that she had done something wrong during the times he would hit her.  But, not wanting to lose him, as she thought she was in love, she stayed.  Then, as the abuse got worse, she started to feel ashamed, embarrassed, and didn't know how to get out of the relationship.  He kept telling her that if she told anyone that he would kill her, and that if she left, he would come after her, and that she would be sorry.  So, all she could do was stay.

The night I ran into her at the library, he was out with friends, and gave her permission to go to the library.  He told her that he would be having friends watch her, and that he would be by to pick her up.  So, this is why she kept looking over her shoulder. 

I felt so bad for my friend, and wanted to help her get out of this abusive relationship.  But, like I said domestic violence, especially on college campuses, was not talked about.  And, I didn't want to offer up any advice that may harm my friend.  One of the hardest days of my life, was seeing my friend walk away that night, knowing what she would be returning to when she got home to her boyfriend's apartment. 

As the days went on, I would wait outside Susan's classes, in hopes to see her, but she didn't show up.  Fearing the worst, I confided in a few friends, as well as sought advice from a domestic violence counselor at the local YWCA.  It was like a waiting game, as we waited to see where Susan would turn up, and when.  Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, I was so relived one rainy night when I heard a knock at my apartment door.  When I opened the door, Susan was standing there with a small bag, covered in bruises and blood.  A friend and I rushed her to the local hospital, where she received stitches and was treated for a cracked cheek bone and broken ribs.  Police came into the exam room after the doctor's were done to take her story and see if she would be pressing charges.  I was not sure if Susan would speak up and finally break her silence.  Thankfully, she did.  And, in addition to pressing charges, she took out a restraining against her now ex-boyfriend. 

Susan's parents met us at the hospital and ended up taking her home to recover and heal.  She ended up dropping out of school, later to return to another university years later to complete her degree in psychology.  Now, today, she is a domestic violence counselor, and hopes that by sharing her story to girls (and guys) that they will find the strength to speak out and leave the abusive relationships they find themselves in. 

If you need immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224. 

 

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Join The Allstate Foundation this month to spread the word about domestic violence awareness through their Purple Purse campaign.  

"As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, Purple Purse, The Allstate Foundation’s symbol for domestic violence, proudly represents a woman’s way to escape the cycle of abuse by gaining financial independence.  Now in its third year, The Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse campaign has pledged to donate up to $350,000 to the YWCA for programs designed at assisting survivors of domestic violence and other women in need.

In 2011, The Allstate Foundation launched Purplepurse.com to provide resources to get people talking about domestic violence, as well as help those in abusive relationships get out, stay safe and thrive.  The Purple Purse was created because a purse represents the center of a woman’s financial domain and purple is the color utilized by domestic violence awareness campaigns.  Rosario Dawson joined The Purple Purse as a spokesperson in 2012 and continues to be a champion of the campaign in 2013.

Domestic violence is an issue that impacts millions, but few talk about it. Purple Purse helps people carry on conversations and pass information about domestic violence and financial abuse by placing the power directly into people’s hands with a purple purse.  A majority of Americans agree that domestic violence is tough to talk about. More than one-third of Americans have never discussed the issue with family or friends and Purple Purse provides a conversation starter.  Lacking financial knowledge and resources is the number one indicator of whether a domestic violence victim will stay, leave or return to an abusive relationship.

Taking action against domestic violence is simple - Purple Purse: Pass It On.

1,300 purple purses filled with domestic violence information and facts will be distributed throughout the U.S. Each purse has a goal of being passed between family, friends, community leaders, celebrities, media, and Allstate employees and agents sparking important conversations and raising awareness. The Allstate Foundation will donate $5 each time a purse is passed and checked-in at PurplePurse.com.

Visit PurplePurse.com to follow the purple purses on their journey around the country, track the YWCA’s progress toward their goal to earn $350,000 from The Allstate Foundation and get tips to help you start talking about domestic violence."

If you don’t get your hands on one of the purple purses that are being passed around the country, you can still help by logging onto Facebook.com/PurplePurse and sharing a virtual purple purse.  A Spanish-language site is available at www.bolsomorado.com. Use my special virtual code: 0030, to pass the purse along.  

Each virtual purse pass will result in a $5.00 donation made by The Allstate Foundation to YWCA for programs aimed to help domestic violence survivors, up to $350.000.  So, what are you waiting for?    Visit www.purplepurse.com and enter code "0030" and start passing the purse.  Please share this virtual code with family and friends, so that together we can help raise the necessary funds to help domestic violence survivors everyone.  And, thank you!




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

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