$100 DONATION COULD BE TICKET TO $300K VALLEY HOME
12.17.08
Local Veteran Dreams Up Giveaway to Avoid Foreclosure and Help Charity. www.Wantacleanslate.com
Dec. 17, 2008 (GILBERT, Ariz.) – Refusing to be just another statistic in the Valley’s mushrooming housing crisis, first-time homebuyer Heather Gray is asking would-be homeowners to donate to charity and in return take a chance on winning her home. The Gilbert resident has aligned herself with Phoenix-based charity, The Murray Grey Foundation (MGF), in an effort to offload her house which has fast become a burden in what some are calling the nation’s worst financial crisis of its kind since the Great Depression.
Beginning today, donors that contribute $100 to The Murray Grey Foundation will automatically be entered for a chance to win Heather Gray’s residence in Gilbert as part of the “Clean Slate” program. A military veteran herself after serving in the Air Force, Gray chose the foundation because she wanted others facing similar predicaments to benefit from her situation. The Murray Grey Foundation’s mission is to provide financial assistance, education and support to the families of deployed military also facing financial strife - especially those in jeopardy of losing their home ownership.
Here’s how it works. Every person who makes a tax-deductible contribution of at least $100 to The Murray Grey Foundation by logging onto www.Wantacleanslate.com will automatically receive a certificate for the chance to earn up to $500 in free gas or groceries, and be entered for the chance to win Gray’s 4-bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2200-square-foot Gilbert home, appraised at more than $280,000. In exchange, MGF has agreed to solicit at least 5,000 donations totaling $500,000. The money raised will pay off Gray’s debt, all of the additional funds will be kept within the foundation, and one lucky donor will walk away with a new home (pending tax implications).
For The Murray Grey Foundation and similar charities that help military families, the need is great. According to the Military Times there are 3.3 million active military, over 24 million veterans and 2.9 million disabled veterans with the number of disabled veterans alone rising by 25 percent since 2001. Funds raised by The Murray Grey Foundation will provide financial support and other resources to at risk military families facing foreclosure of their homes as well as emergency financial support for food, clothing, utility payments, transportation and other critical resources.
Creative ways to get out of mortgage debt are becoming commonplace these days as homeowners face job losses and other life-altering events related to the economic crunch. Such methods were once considered unorthodox but as Gray puts it, “Desperate times call for desperate measures and in my eyes I’ve done everything right.” And in fact, she has. At the time of purchase, Gray, who has a Masters degree in Business and held an 8-year career in the communications field, relied on a two-income household and benefited from steady employment. Currently unemployed, it is just a matter of time until funds run dry and Gray will face foreclosure. The “Clean Slate” program was organized to alleviate her financial burden and provide her a fresh start while helping military families in need – one lucky winner will soon call her well-kept home their own.
The house will be featured on a specially-designed website, www.Wantacleanslate.com, with direct links to The Murray Grey Foundation for donors wanting to contribute. In addition, Gray has created both a Facebook page and featured it on her personal MySpace page with hopes of spreading the news nationwide. The program is only open to residents of the United States. A series of fundraising events will be planned across the metropolitan-Phoenix area over the coming months to raise awareness for the foundation. Upcoming dates and details will be posted on the website.
For more information or to contact Heather Gray, contact Denise Bugallo at dbugallo@graystockmarketing.com or 480-201-5788.
About The Murray Grey Foundation: The Murray Grey Foundation is a non-profit organization that serves families of those that serve or have served America. The Murray Grey Foundation provides military families with financial support and other critical resources in their time of need. www.TheMurrayGreyFoundation.org.
