THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 28, 1995 TAG: 9507280475
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Donations totaling more than $21,000 have poured in since last weekend to help homeless advocate Brenda McCormick purchase the Mothers Inc. headquarters that she must buy or vacate.
That support also has helped her buy time from her landlord.
Douglas Johnson owns the resort area house at 417 16th St. and has rented it to McCormick for the past six years. He had obtained a court order to evict McCormick last Sunday but he granted a weeklong extension. After money started coming in, Johnson announced Thursday that McCormick could remain in the house through August.
Johnson said he must sell the house and McCormick is welcome to purchase it for the asking price of $96,500.
McCormick is hoping to raise at least $41,500 because $55,000 of the remaining pricetag is in the form of a non-qualifying, assumable mortgage.
``This thing could actually happen,'' said an exuberant attorney Glen Huff, who has volunteered to have donations sent to his office.
``It's amazing. By midmorning Saturday, people were sliding checks in envelopes under the office door, and yesterday $10,000 was pledged.''
By Thursday afternoon, 98 contributors had sent amounts ranging from $1 to $1,000, resulting in $21,024.50 in donations and pledges.
``This is the power of God and the love of people,'' McCormick said after learning how much money had been raised.
McCormick said that she was touched by the efforts of two Virginia Beach children who sold lemonade and some of their toys Sunday to help her.
Some $1,000 was raised by a store-front church in Chesapeake after the pastor's wife read about the advocate's plight Saturday and urged her husband to speak to his flock and ``pass the hat'' at Sunday services.
``That was a small fortune for them,'' said McCormick.
Huff said that others also are working behind the scenes to help McCormick, including a group of Realtors.
McCormick, who lives on a $573 Air Force widow's check, has worked on behalf of the poor and homeless for 10 years and has been based on 16th Street since 1989.
She believes that it is essential for her to remain there, since it is in the center of the portion of the city where poor live and homeless congregate. McCormick can be reached at 491-2887. MEMO: Donations to help Mothers Inc. buy the house may be sent to Huff, Poole
and Mahoney, 4705 Columbus St., Virginia Beach, Va. 23462. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Brenda McComick wants to keep Mothers Inc. in a location where many
of the city's poor and homeless gather.
by CNB