WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 30, 2018) – (RealEstateRama) — The MBA Opens Doors Foundation (Opens Doors) today announced it raised $685,175 during the Mortgage Bankers Association’s 2018 Annual Convention and Expo, held in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14-17. The generous contributions given by convention attendees, combined with the more than $1.1 million recently pledged by MBA member companies and individuals leading up to the convention, furthers the Foundation’s mission of caring for families with sick children by providing mortgage and rental assistance grants to families in need.
Donations from corporate and individual donors were given and pledged at three major events during the week: the Foundation’s Monday evening donor reception; the General Session with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, NBA Hall of Famer, entrepreneur and philanthropist; and at Concert MBA, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson.
The amount raised during the convention comes on the heels of an extraordinary fundraising appeal for the fiscal year of 2019 launched by Debra W. Still, CMB, president and CEO of Pulte Mortgage and Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Since August, MBA member companies and individuals have pledged more than $1.1 million.
“MBA members and the mortgage industry enthusiastically support Opens Doors’ mission, and their strong support is deeply appreciated,” said Still. “The generosity shown in recent months will have a considerable impact on helping families. To put the $1,785,175 raised into perspective, the average grant provided to an ODF family is roughly $1,800, which means we’ve so far raised enough money to help more than 990 families stay in their homes.”
“Support from the MBA community, and in particular the effort and leadership of Chairman Still, allows Opens Doors to meet the increasing demand for support from families with critically ill or injured children,” said Deborah Dubois, president of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation. “We have an ambitious fundraising goal for 2019 – one that the MBA community has enthusiastically embraced. I am continually amazed by their generosity and the genuine desire to help families facing an unimaginable crisis.”
The Foundation also presented its annual Community Champion Award and two inaugural awards at MBA’s Annual Convention. The 2018 Opens Doors Foundation announced award winners were:
- Community Champion Award: Susan and Van Stewart, CEO and President, respectively, of SWBC Mortgage.
- Founder’s Award: David and Mary Stevens, who along with Dan Arrigoni, founded the MBA Opens Doors Foundation.
- Spirit Award: Sharyn Torrisi-Cartwright, VP of human resources, Pulte Mortgage; Cheryl Paul, CMB SVP, director of mortgage at Settlers Bank; and Susan Brown, CMB SVP, Construction and Renovation production manager, Umpqua Bank.
“The MBA Annual Convention and Expo provides a great opportunity to honor champions of the Foundation in front of industry peers,” said Dubois. “Each year we welcome more and more supporters to our roster and as a result, we are able to help an increasing number of families across the country.”
Support from MBA allows the Foundation to pass on 100 percent of donations to families in need of assistance. Potential grant recipients are identified through the Foundation’s ongoing relationship with children’s hospitals in Akron, Ohio; Boston, Massachusetts; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; northern and southern California, and Washington, D.C.
MBA Opens Doors is a 501(c) (3) organization, and all contributions are tax deductible. For more information about the Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.mbaopensdoors.org.
CONTACT
Adam DeSanctis
(202) 557-2727
