Allstate Raises Awareness for Domestic Abuse with the #PurplePurse Campaign

Last Updated on February 5, 2018 by Diane Hoffmaster

This post about domestic abuse has been sponsored but all opinions expressed here are my own.

I sat on my couch this morning with my much needed cup of coffee and watched the news.  Watching the news on TV is rarely a 'fun' thing, full of joy or good news.  This morning was no different.  The big story in the headlines today is the upsurge in domestic violence incidents in the National Football League.  The journalists cited several cases that have come to light recently where professional football players have been accused of abusing their wives and/or children.  What disturbs me even more is that most of these professional football players are never actually punished for being abusers.  They go along their merry way playing the game and raking in millions of dollars.  While the women and children in their lives have to live in fear.  There is something seriously not right about that!

Allstate Raises Awareness for Domestic Abuse

I'm lucky that I have never had to live through an abusive relationship.  I can't imagine how helpless and powerless a person must feel knowing they have so few options for escape.  Not only are domestic violence victims subjected to physical and emotional abuse but usually there is also financial abuse in the relationship, too.  This financial abuse leaves the victim without the financial means of leaving their abuser, even if they could physically and emotionally manage to escape.   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.  With no money to support themselves, many victims of domestic violence choose to stay with their abuser because they feel that they have no choice.  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 domestic abuse.

Allstate wants to do something to help these victims of domestic abuse.  The purpose of the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse campaign is to make it fashionable to talk about domestic violence and the financial abuse that traps women in abusive relationships. The program aims to fund more than 140 national, state and local domestic violence organizations. Money raised in this campaign will support life-changing financial empowerment services to help domestic violence survivors build safer lives for themselves and their families.  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.

 

Kerry Washington, Emmy-nominated actress and domestic violence activist, is serving as a Purple Purse ambassador to help raise awareness for the cause and has designed a limited-edition purple purse. The purse was created to represent the center of a woman’s financial domain and to inspire women to reclaim their financial independence. You can turn any purse into a Purple Purse!  The Allstate Foundation is distributing Purple Purse charms so you can show your support and attach this cute charm to your favorite bag year round. They are being distributed with inspiring survivor stories through Purple Purse Challenge participants and Allstate agency owners.  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 domestic abuse.  Please take a moment to watch Kerry Washington's public service announcement about this important cause!

If you are being abused or suspect that someone you know is in an abusive relationship, PurplePurse.com has important tips and tools to help you recognize domestic violence and financial abuse, talk about it and end it!

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.