Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with The Allstate Foundation and MomSelect. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It’s been all over the news for the last week or so. The Ray Rice incident in which he knocked out his then fiance in an elevator. Bottom line, what he did was wrong and is domestic abuse. While this situation was highly publicized there are so many women out there that deal with this on a daily basis. Domestic violence is not just physical though it can also be financial. Allstate Foundation helps raise funds for national, state, and local domestic violence organizations. Allstate Foundations Purple Purse campaign’s goal is break the cycle of violence one family at a time.
Some facts about domestic violence in the US:
- Domestic violence affects one in four women in her 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% of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to keep a victim trapped.
- Domestic violence and financial abuse often go hand-in-hand, but nearly 8 in 10 Americans have not heard much about financial abuse as a form of domestic violence. The number one reason domestic violence survivors stay, leave or return to an abusive relationship is that they don’t have the financial resources to break free.
- Financial abuse is just as effective in controlling an abused victim as a lock and key. If her credit has been ruined, she can’t get an apartment. If her abuser constantly harasses her at work, she can lose her job. And, crushing debt run up by an abuser means it could take a survivor and her children years to fully recover from abuse.
Kerry Washington, the Emmy nominated actress, is a domestic violence advocate is serving as a Purple Purse ambassador and has created a limited edition Purple Purse to help raise awareness. So why a purse? It’s created to represent the center of a woman’s financial domain and inspire women to reclaim their financial independence. I think that’s a great message and a great symbol.
The Allstate Foundation is distributing purple purse charms so you can turn any purse into a purple purse. The Allstate Foundation is investing more than half a million dollars in the Purple Purse Challenge. The more donations each nonprofit gets, the more it can compete for Allstate Foundation incentive funding. Go to PurplePurse.com between Sept. 2 and Oct. 3 to join the Challenge and help a nonprofit near you. When you donate at least $10 to any organization in the Purple Purse Challenge you are entered to win a daily drawing for 1 of 3 exclusive Kerry Washington designed purses. 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.
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
This is such a wonderful campaign! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Thanks for sharing this campaign!
Ooh, I’d love to have one of those purses. I like the symbolism, too.