Do you remember….asking for lunch money?  
 
Do you remember when you had to ask for lunch money when you were a kid? As adults, most of us now have access to their personal or family funds, and don’t need anyone’s permission to get the money they need for everyday things like lunch. But that isn’t the case for many victims of domestic abuse, who quite often don’t have the financial resources to break free from their abusers.  
 
Today, I’m asking you for lunch money (my typical lunch costs about $10… I’m a cheap date) in the form of a donation today to the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence online at: https://www.crowdrise.com/PurplePurse-NHCADSV/fundraiser/jonewell I am proud to serve on the Board of Directors of this organization, and to participate in the Allstate Purple Purse Challenge to raise awareness and education about financial abuse.  
 
Your generous tax deductable contribution of $10 or more will also help NHCADSV in their critical mission to support victims of abuse, and to win additional funding from Allstate’s incentive competitions. You also will be entered for a chance to win a very cool purple purse designed by Kerry Washington, the ambassador for this financial abuse awareness and fundraising campaign. (more information and photos of the purse are on the website: https://www.crowdrise.com/PurplePurse-NHCADSV/fundraiser/jonewell. The fundraising campaign and competition ends this Friday morning (10/3/14 at 11:59am to be precise), so time is of the essence; please donate now.  
 
If you haven’t clicked away yet to donate or to go get some lunch yourself…. what follows below is my story and some information about the NHCADSV. You’ll see why I care and why I hope you will chose to donate and share this message with others in your network.  
 
With Love and appreciation,  
 
Jo  
 
Jo Fonda Newell’s story:  
 
I am a very lucky woman.  
 
In 2001, I was a 39 year old mother to an 8 year old daughter, with an MBA degree from a top Ivy League Business School, and a high-paying finance management job at a Fortune 100 company. Yet, I had absolutely no idea how I could possibly leave my emotionally and mentally abusive husband, who on the surface, seemed like a very nice, well-educated, professional guy.  
 
With every step that I took forward to leave, I was pushed back by his intimidation and the control he had systematically gained over me throughout our 20 year marriage. One morning, following a series of disturbing events, I was in a panic that my daughter and I were in imminent danger.  
 
Luckily, I had a good job which included a company cell phone and credit card, I had access to a car, and I had enough money to be able to open a secret PO Box and checking account. I needed all of those things: to get my daughter and escape and hide from my husband, to pay for a hotel and food, to pay the retainer to the lawyer to help me stand before a judge to obtain a temporary restraining order against my husband. However, not all victims of domestic violence have access to the resources that I did. To get help, the majority of victims contact their local domestic and sexual violence program. Allstate Foundation's Purple Purse Challenge is designed to help educate and enable victims to achieve financial independence and strength.  
 
I wish I could say that was the end of the story and that we were able to go our separate ways. Instead, my husband hunted me down for two days, and in a rage, unable to find me and having been served the restraining order, he flew our private airplane into our newly built home in Amherst, burning it to the ground and killing himself in the process.  
 
Like I said, I was lucky. On average, every single day, at least three women are killed by their husband or boyfriend in the United States alone. We are taught to fear strangers, but over 30% of all homicides of women are at the hands of an intimate partner, compared to under 9% committed by a stranger. In New Hampshire, 50% of all homicides are domestic violence-related.  
 
I urge you to generously donate to the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. NH’s domestic violence programs are crucial in helping victims live a life free from abuse. They offer a safe refuge for victims and their children, empowering them to discover their options, as advocates work with victims to navigate legal, medical, and social systems. NH’s domestic violence programs and the Allstate Foundation's Purple Purse Challenge work to empower survivors to rebuild their lives.  
 
Your support could quite literally mean the difference between life and death for victims of abuse.  
 
Thank you!  
Jo  
 
About the NEW HAMPSHIRE COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC & SEXUAL VIOLENCE:  
Our Vision: All New Hampshire communities provide safety for every person.  
Our Mission: The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence creates safe and just communities through advocacy, prevention and empowerment of anyone affected by sexual violence, domestic violence and stalking.  
 
This mission is accomplished by the Coalition, which includes 14 independent community-based member programs, a Board of Directors and a central staff working together to:  
Influence public policy on the local, state and national levels;  
Ensure that quality services are provided to victims;  
Promote the accountability of societal systems and communities for their responses to sexual violence, domestic violence and stalking;  
Prevent violence and abuse before they occur.  
 
https://www.crowdrise.com/PurplePurse-NHCADSV/fundraiser/jonewell