OGDENSBURG -- The Ogdensburg Area Zonta club recently presented a check for $500 to Kat Manierre of Renewal House in support of the services they provide and to promote their Allstate Purple Purse Challenge Fundraiser.

The Purple Purse Challenge is an annual fundraising competition in October, which they call "Domestic Violence Awareness Month."

Nonprofit organizations serving domestic violence survivors around the U.S. compete to raise the most money to directly support domestic violence victims in their communities.

The top fundraisers have the opportunity to win grand prize cash donations totaling $350,000 from The Allstate Foundation.

The Purple Purse Challenge runs through Tuesday, Oct. 31. To Donate go to http://purplepurse.com/ and search for St Lawrence Valley Renewal House.

According to 2015 US Census data, approximately 20 percent of St. Lawrence County’s population lives below the federal poverty line. That’s nearly 5 percent higher than the national average. Women age 18 to 24 account for the largest demographic living in poverty within the county. Moreover, according to data collected by the National Crime Victimization Survey, women age 18 to 24 are also most likely to be victimized by an intimate partner.

For the past 35 years, Renewal House has striven to respond immediately to the needs of domestic violence victims and their families all across St. Lawrence County, by providing them with individual advocacy, peer to peer counseling, education, case management, and emergency crisis support, said a press release from the Zonta club.

Renewal House believes that addressing financial abuse and encouraging economic empowerment is essential to the healing process, helping individuals move from domestic violence victim, to survivor, to “thriver.”

Zonta Club of Ogdensburg is a service club that works to empower women through service and advocacy locally as well as worldwide.

The local chapter is a member of Zonta International which has 30,000 members in 1,200 clubs in 67 countries. If you are interested in joining/learning more, talk to any member or message them on the club Facebook page to learn more.