MBA Opens Doors Foundation Celebrates a ‘Monumental’ Week of Fundraising at MBA Annual
The MBA Opens Doors Foundation announced it raised $685,175 during the Mortgage Bankers Association’s 2018 Annual Convention and Expo, held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14-17.
The generous contributions given by convention attendees 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 NBA Hall of Famer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Earvin “Magic” Johnson; and at ConcertMBA, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson.
“MBA members and the mortgage industry enthusiastically support Opens Doors’ mission, and their strong support is deeply appreciated,” said Debra W. Still, CMB, president and CEO of Pulte Mortgage and Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “The generosity shown at MBA’s Convention will have a considerable impact on helping families. To put the $685,175 raised into perspective, the average grant provided to an ODF family is roughly $1,800. That means in two days we raised enough money to help 380 families stay in their homes.”
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, San Antonio, Texas.
–Founder’s Award: David and Mary Stevens, who along with Dan Arrigoni, founded the MBA Opens Doors Foundation.
–Spirit Award: Sharyn Torrisi-Cartwright, vice president of human resources with Pulte Mortgage; Cheryl Paul, CMB, senior vice president and director of mortgage with Settlers Bank; and Susan Brown, CMB, senior vice president and construction and renovation production manager with Umpqua Bank.
“The MBA Annual Convention and Expo provides a great opportunity to honor champions of the Foundation in front of industry peers,” said Deborah Dubois, president of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation. “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; Dallas-Fort Worth; Denver; Houston; 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, visit www.mbaopensdoors.org.
