The Allstate Foundation helps raise awareness for Domestic Violence with the #PurplePurse Challenge! #ad

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Allstate Foundation® and Latina Bloggers Connect.

Considering the news about Ray Rice this week, this is the perfect time to talk about domestic violence. Did you know that domestic violence affects 1 in 4 women? That’s more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer combined according to the American Cancer Society.

And domestic violence is not just about physical violence but it is also about financial abuse. In 98% of all cases of domestic violence using finances is a way to control the survivor. It is an insidious way to control because some survivors of abuse cannot get out of that relationship because they do not have the financial means to do so. I had a friend who stayed with her abuser because she had no job or money. He controlled her money and she could not leave. Thank goodness, with a little hlep, she got out of that relationship.

But that is the problem, with no money or credit, the survivor cannot rent an apartment. The survivor can lose her job or children. Domestic violence can shatter lives and destroy families.

Luckily, The Allstate Foundation has responded to this by creating Purple Purse – the Foundation’s national symbol for domestic violence and financial abuse to raise awareness and getting people to openly talk about this important issue. Purple Purse was chosen because a purse represents the center of a woman’s financial domain and purple is the national color of domestic violence awareness.

This year the Allstate Foundation is asking people to join them in the Purple Purse Challenge to raise money for 145 nonprofit organizations that help domestic violence survivors. The Allstate Foundation is investing more than half a million dollars in the Purple Purse Challenge. You can make a difference by donating money. Starting September 2 through October 3, you can visit the Purple Purse website to make your donation. The more donations each Community Partner gets, the more Allstate Foundation funding the organization is eligible to receive.

Actress, Kerry Washington, is the Purple Purse ambassador. She has designed a limited-edition purse that will be distributed to Purple Purse Challenge participants to raise awareness. There will also be 80,000 purse tassels available to also raise awareness.

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.The Allstate Foundation wants to break the cycle of domestic abuse by making it fashionable to talk about it. We should all help. The only way to stop the violence is to talk about it. We also need to help the organizations that empower the survivors of domestic abuse. Your donation will make this happen.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224. Let's break the silence and raise awareness.