THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 4, 1995 TAG: 9508040453
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Donations to help Brenda McCormick buy the Mothers Inc. headquarters she must vacate by the end of August swelled to nearly $33,000 this week.
If approximately $4,000 more is raised, a matching challenge pledge would close the gap, enabling the advocate for the city's poor and homeless to take over the $55,000 mortgage and remain in the resort area home at 417 16th St.
Douglas Johnson owns the property and has rented it to McCormick for the past six years. He obtained a court order to evict McCormick July 23, but granted first a weeklong extension and then said she could remain through August so long as the rent was paid.
Two people have underwritten the August rent, says McCormick attorney Glen Huff, who has volunteered to have contributions sent to his office.
``This is a miracle made possible by powers greater than us,'' said Huff Wednesday after the anonymous $5,000 came in. The donor pledged another $5,000 in matching funds. On Thursday, another $1,000 was received, leaving roughly $4,000 more to be raised to collect the challenge money.
McCormick hopes to raise a total of at least $41,500 because the remainder of the $96,500 pricetag is in the form of a non-qualifying, assumable mortgage.
In all, more than 200 people have given and pledged $32,936.
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.
Huff said that should the gap be filled, he would hope to have paperwork going on the transaction in about two weeks. by CNB