Tenth Annual Cycle the WAVE

One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, local Allstate agency owner Elaine Denslow secured community participation and a $7,000 grant for the WAVE Foundation in an effort to empower victims of domestic abuse. Elaine was one of 800 women who took part in the tenth annual Cycle The WAVE event on September 17, where participants fundraised and cycled to end domestic abuse.

In Cycle The Wave’s ten years, more than $1,000,000 has gone to various Washington State programs working to end domestic violence.

The WAVE Foundation is using this October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month to have conversations with young girls in schools, ensuring they can protect and prevent themselves from falling into abusive relationships.

News Release

Seven Allstate agency owners earn $7,000 grant for Bellevue’s Women Against Violence Everywhere (WAVE) Foundation

The Allstate Foundation grant to support nonprofit’s work to empower people to recognize the warning signs of violence and prevent its occurrence Seven Allstate agency owners from the Seattle area recently came together to secure a $7,000 Allstate Foundation Helping Hands® grant to benefit the Women Against Violence Everywhere (WAVE) Foundation. The grant will support WAVE’s mission to increase awareness of domestic violence and to raise funds for domestic violence programs across Washington State.

“One out of every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and in 99 percent of those cases, the abuse is financial,” said Elaine Denslow, Bellevue Allstate agency owner and member of the Allstate Against Abuse Team. “As members of the community, it’s important to volunteer our time towards working to change those statistics by raising awareness, empowering women and supporting events like Cycle the WAVE Washington.”

The agency owners and financial specialists each earned $1,000 for WAVE by volunteering at the 10th annual Cycle the WAVE Washington, a non-competitive bike and walk event for women of all fitness levels. The volunteers hosted an Allstate Foundation Purple Purse booth as part of the Cycle the WAVE Washington finish line festival on Bellevue College’s campus Sunday, Sept. 17. At the booth, participants wrote encouragement cards to domestic violence survivors and received information on how to help break the cycle of domestic violence. WAVE will use the $7,000 grant to further its work to address the issue of domestic violence in the community.

“Since our first annual Cycle the WAVE Washington event in 2008 we’ve raised more than $1 million for programs that address the issue of domestic violence,” said Gina Kavesh, executive director of The WAVE Foundation. “We’re glad to have the support of Allstate in celebrating women of all ages and fitness levels who come together to bike and walk – and help break the cycle of abuse.”

WAVE is one of thousands of organizations this year to receive Allstate Foundation Helping Hands grants secured by agency owners and financial specialists on behalf of the nonprofits where they volunteer their time to strengthen their communities and support the causes they care about most. The grants support organizations addressing domestic violence, youth empowerment, disaster preparedness, hunger and other causes.

The Helping Hands grants are one example of The Allstate Foundation’s legacy of empowering individuals and communities in need:

• Since 2005, The Allstate Foundation has invested $55 million to help more than 1 million women break free of domestic violence through life-changing financial education resources.
• Each October, domestic violence nonprofits across the country participate in the Purple Purse Challenge to raise funds for financial empowerment programs for domestic violence survivors. This year, more than 220 nonprofits will participate in the Challenge from Oct. 2 through Oct. 31. Last year’s Challenge included nearly 200 nonprofits and raised nearly $4 million. To learn more and donate, visit PurplePurse.com.

Participating Allstate agency owners and financial specialists include (in alphabetical order):

• Alexander Basile, Seattle
• Elaine Denslow, Bellevue
• Rallie Jamero, Shoreline
• Kristian Landon Suson, Renton
• Jean Landon Suson, Seattle
• Thida Sin, Bellevue
• Dominique Tranchina, Seattle

About The Allstate Foundation
Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL). Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country, The Allstate Foundation brings the relationships, reputation and resources of Allstate to support innovative and lasting solutions that enhance people’s well-being and prosperity. With a focus on building financial independence for domestic violence survivors, empowering youth and celebrating the charitable community involvement of Allstate agency owners and employees, The Allstate Foundation works to bring out the good in people’s lives. For more information, visit www.AllstateFoundation.org.