Contributions allow Fremont Public Association to 'Burn the Mortgage'

SEATTLE -- Everyone dreams of being able to "burn the mortgage." One of Seattle's largest human services organizations is literally blowing theirs up - all $5.6 million of it - and eating the flaming remnants.

With the help of members of the fire-eating, pyrotechnic theatrical group Cirque de Flambé, along with more than 100 donors, clients and staff members, the Fremont Public Association (FPA) will symbolically destroy the mortgage on its two-year-old Community Resource Building.

The event will feature fire juggling, fire breathing and fire eating and will culminate by torching a four-foot mock-up of the mortgage document hanging over a metal replica of the FPA building. It takes place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 1501 N. 45th Street.

"Through generous private and public donations, we are paying off our original 30-year mortgage after just two years," said FPA Executive Director Cheryl Cobbs. "The savings in interest will total $200,000 a year - money we will now be able to use to bolster our efforts to fight poverty, homelessness and hunger in our community."

Some of the gifts that contributed significantly to the effort included $650,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; $500,000 from U.S. Housing and Urban Development through the efforts of Sen. Patty Murray; $200,000 from the City of Seattle; and $200,000 from the Kresge Foundation.

In addition to housing FPA, the 24,000 square foot Community Resource Building is home to the Wallingford branch of the Seattle Public Library, the FamilyWorks organization and a food bank.

Among the special guests scheduled to attend the mortgage-burning event are Chris and Annie Psomas, a couple in their 80s who were saved from becoming homeless when FPA stepped in to prevent a bank from foreclosing on their mortgage.

The FPA serves more than 13,000 low-income people each year through 27 programs including emergency shelter and housing assistance, basic food and nutritional support, in-home care, accessible transportation and many other services. The agency also coordinates more than 700,000 hours of volunteer service each year and advocates on issues such as welfare reform, low-income housing and workforce training. For more information about FPA, visit the web site.