The Foreclosure Angel Foundation

In these hard economic times, it's sometimes difficult to have hope and remain positive. On a daily basis, we're bombarded with news about the economy which is dismal and depressing at times: people are continually losing their jobs, and because of no secure income they then lose their homes. But despite all this gloom and doom, there are angels amongst us who are willing to go the extra mile and help someone out even if they are a total stranger.

Imagine for a moment you're a person who feels as if their world was coming apart. You're sitting on the floor of a the long corridor near the auditorium where an auction is taking place for homes that are on the auction block due to foreclosure. You're sitting on that floor huddled up in an almost fetal position with tears streaming down your face since your own home is up for auction. The home is listed as Number 73, and there isn't even a photo of the home you had lived in for the past four years. You're there only with some hope beyond hope of getting your home back. How? You have no idea, but you're still hoping. You've attracted the attention of a film crew that happens to be there filming the auction proceedings and they can't help noticing your sadness and helplessness and they try to find out what's wrong...you mumble some words rather incoherently through your sobs to tell them what's wrong.

You've now also have attracted the attention of a woman, a complete stranger who also asks what's wrong. You remain silent not answering her...she's persistent though and keeps asking what is wrong and you finally tell her. This woman asks is the home worth it? And of course, you say yes. This woman proceeds to go into the auditorium, sits down and waits for home Number 73 to be put up for auction, and on a whim, not only bids on it, but wins the home, but she's not interested in the home for herself, but she bought the home to instead to give it back to you. You now have your home back.

Sound like a fairy tale? A script for a movie? It isn't. This is exactly what happened between two women who were complete strangers to each other until late October of 2008.

Tracy Orr, was that sobbing woman sitting in the corridor whose luck had turned against her. She had bought her Pottsboro, Texas fixer upper home home back in 2004 for a mere $5,000, a virtual steal and not really all that expensive in today's house market when most homes can hit well over the $100,000 price. But then she took out a mortgage for $80,000.00, to fix up her home. Not long after however, Tracy fell into hard times like so many Americans due to the economic situation. She lost her job as a Postal Worker and could no longer pay off her mortgage---like so many people hit during these rough times, her home was just many of the casualties now in foreclosure and thus the reason for her home being auctioned off.

The other woman, was Marilyn Mock from Rockwell, Texas. a savvy business woman who works six days a week. She was originally there at the auction which took place in Dallas to see about buying a home for her son at a bargain. It was her rather persistent, dogged nature that kept asking the sobbing woman what was wrong, and when she found out, she did something unexpected, perhaps even to herself. She took a seat in the auditorium and patiently waited for home Number 73 to come up and placed a bid on it, winning it for $30,000. However, she didn't buy this home for her son, but instead, turned around and gave, yes, gave the home back to Tracy Orr.

Marilyn Mock's act of total selfless generosity didn't go unnoticed. Practically overnight, both Marilyn and Tracy became celebrities as news of this random act of kindness spread like wildfire in the news media. Both have been featured on various news channels, including CNN, a segment on 20/20, People Magazine's Heroes issue and even had a featured spot on the Oprah Winfrey show, and Marilyn Mock was now known as the "foreclosure angel".

The two women created a deal between each other, and Tracy is now paying low, low payments of her home back to Marilyn Mock rather than a bank. Tracy was able to move back in her home just slightly prior to Thanksgiving of 2008, and that was probably one Thanksgiving Ms. Orr will never forget.

The story doesn't end there however, since it had now become apparent to Marilyn Mock of others in dire need for some kind of assistance in mortgage payments and thus she began her organization known as Foreclosure Angel Foundation. Her organization doesn't always re-buy foreclosed homes outright as she did in Tracy Orr's case. Many times, it may only be a case of people not being able to pay off relatively small back taxes on the homes, but still a hardship for those who just can't pay it off. The money Ms.Mock gets for people paying her back goes right back out in helping others, and one can even donate directly to the Foreclosure Angel Foundation. One person who is now helping side by side is none other than Tracy Orr herself in which the two women now have a tight friendship for each other.

One can see a number of videos that captured of the Tracy Orr/Marilyn Mock "event" itself, but there is another very heart-warming video of yet another woman Marilyn Mock helped out, by the name of Shirley Dvorack of St. Cloud, Minnesota and one can see it here. Like Tracy Orr, Shirley lost her job and fell behind in her mortgage payments. So despondent, Shirley admitted that she was hoping that she die in her sleep, then face the possibility of losing her home and becoming homeless. Once again Marilyn Mock came to the rescue and was able to completely pay off the mortgage and back taxes of Shirley's home for a total of $20,000. Then while cameras were rolling, Marilyn approached Shirley to tell her the good news that she could stay in her home. It's truly a bittersweet video to watch as a stunned, crying Shirley can't believe it; she nearly has a panic attack right there and then.

As you can imagine, however, now the Foreclosure Angel Foundation is flooded with desperate requests from homeowners for help and Marilyn Mock tries not to turn anyone down, but it takes time now for her to get things going to help others and is nearly a full time job in itself.

If you yourself are having mortgage payment problems in which you too might be facing foreclosure and being threatened by losing your home, go to the Foreclosure Angel Foundation, you just might have this wonderful "angel" of a woman to help you out. If on the other hand, if you're not having problems and are blessed, consider giving a donation. It doesn't have to be grandiose, but I imagine every bit would help to further the work Marilyn Mock started back in 2008.

Yes, during these hard times, it's nice to know that there are truly angels are amongst us.

Sources:

Oprah Winfrey Show

CNN Video

Tracy Orr/Marilyn Mock

Foreclosure Angel Article

ABC News

Marilyn Mock

Angel story

Auction angel

Foreclosure Story

People's Heroes