The YWCA Evanston/North Shore won a national fundraising competition Monday when they raised more than $300,000 for domestic violence services.

The YWCA raised $311,467 in a month through the Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse Challenge, which raised nearly $2.5 million overall. The center also receives $100,000 from Allstate for winning.

“This is a feat that we could not have accomplished without the support of so many,” Karen Singer, YWCA’s president/CEO, said in a news release. “As a result, calls to our 24-hour domestic violence crisis line and requests for emergency shelter have increased dramatically — a sign that more women can name their situation, feel the support of a community and make a call with the belief that they deserve better.”

Allstate started the Purple Purse Challenge to encourage people to donate to local charities that help victims of domestic violence. The YWCA was one of 140 charities nationwide that participated in the competition.

Since Sept. 2, the YWCA has been raising money and awareness for their domestic violence services that help more than 800 women each year, according to the organization’s site. Singer said the donations from the community allow the YWCA to continue to help women in need by providing them with resources such as shelter, food, transportation and legal advocacy.

“The Purple Purse challenge has helped us up our game in terms of generating conversation around, awareness of, and support for survivors of intimate partner violence,” Singer said in an email to her supporters. “Sometime in the future we want to be able to say that the number of calls to our crisis line have reduced, and that it’s a hopeful sign because fewer women are being abused.”

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MarissaMizroch