DSNews The homepage of the servicing industry
One cause that the Five Star Institute has remained committed to through the years is giving back to the wounded service members who have fought to protect our country.
On Monday night as part of the Military Heroes Keys for Life event at the Five Star Conference and Expo, Five Star donated mortgage free-homes to five wounded veterans and their families to show their appreciation. Five Star partnered with Auction.com, the host sponsor of this year’s Five Star Conference and Expo and the host of Keys for Life, and San Antonio-based non-profit Operation Homefront in donating the homes.
This was Five Star’s sixth year to donate mortgage-free homes as part of the Five Star Conference. The partnership between Five Star, Auction.com, and Operation Homefront was originally announced in March 2015 at the Five Star Government Forum in Washington, D.C. Auction.com donated $50,000 to the home donation program at the government forum this past March at the 2016 Five Star Government Forum and another $50,000 on Monday at the Five Star Conference.
Ten-X (parent company of Auction.com) Chief Marketing Officer Rick Sharga and Operation Homefront President and CEO John I. Pray were on hand for Monday’s presentations.
The event also included a concert from country music legend Trace Adkins, a longtime friend of General Pray. Adkins, who frequently performs on USO tours overseas, closed his performance with “Arlington,” a tribute to a fallen soldier buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Adkins told the audience he rarely performs the song in concert, only doing so when he knows the audience will appreciate it.
“People ask me why I do so much stuff for the military, and I say, ‘Don’t pat me on the back too hard. It’s really a selfish endeavor,” Adkins said after the show. “If you have the opportunity to associate with these heroic men and women, you should do that. Because maybe some of it will rub off on you.”
The event kicked off with the presentation of the 2016 Five Star Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to William Glasgow Jr., Head of Mortgage Servicing with HSBC Bank USA.
The mortgage-free homes were donated to U.S. Army Specialist Derek Dutton and his family; U.S. Marine Sergeant Ritchel Lawson and his family; U.S. Army Specialist Phillip Mills and his family; U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Herbert Myers and his family; and U.S. Army Specialist Yovonnie Wordlow and her family. The homes were donated by JPMorgan Chase.
Five Star has partnered with various non-profit organizations over the last six years to provide approximately $4 million worth of homes to service members.
Editor's note: The Five Star Institute is the parent company of DS News and DSNews.com.
