It was to have been a Christmas gift for someone who never thought they could own a home.
Instead, it’s shaping up to be a surprise just in time for Groundhog Day.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” real estate developer Tom Collins said. “Christmas or the groundhog. My objective is to help the Salvation Army.”
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the need for housing, Collins cooked up what he thought was a pretty simple notion: Give anyone who donates a can of food or tosses as little as a nickel into the Army’s famed red kettle a chance to win a free two-bedroom condominium.
Five finalists will get a key to try in the condo door. One will open it.
Its retail value: $165,000.
No hitches; no hidden agendas; nothing tricky.
“I don’t gain a thing,” said Collins, 60. “There are no names to be kept for marketing. It’s about the Salvation Army.”
There’s even a great amenity to the location.
The condo is in the Flats at Roth Park, at West 85th Avenue and Pecos Street, just across the road from Water World.
It’s not your everyday act of kindness, Collins admits, but he said he felt his business, T&S Development in Centennial, has done well enough that he could think of helping others.
“Someone mentioned to me how the Salvation Army was hurting bad from the (Hurricane) Katrina catastrophe, how there were way more families into Colorado than they anticipated,” Collins said. “That was before the normal holiday helping they do. Their shelves were depleted so quickly and didn’t know how they’d restock.”
The condo is complete with new appliances, and Collins said he’ll modify it in any way to accommodate someone’s disabilities.
Salvation Army spokesman Roger Miller said the group has had difficulty meeting its goal of 500,000 cans of food, a continuing shortfall since Katrina hit in August 2005.
About 10,000 evacuees remain in Colorado, according to federal statistics.
“We’re down at least half of our goal and hope to realize it somehow,” Miller said. “Everybody’s food drives are down this year. This can help.”
Part of the issue has also been fewer of the familiar red kettles around town, Miller admits. A new affiliation with Wal-Mart stores removed the kettles from Albertsons and Safeway locations – the first time in 30 years, Miller said.
“We’re evaluating the success of this year’s campaign,” he said.
To make Collins’ benevolence more successful, Miller said it was decided to move the drawing date to Feb. 1 rather than compete with the holiday drives of so many other nonprofit groups. “The Army felt there were many promotions going on now during the holidays and that everyone was out doing something good,” Collins said. “They thought the shelves would be depleted after Christmas and they’d be waiting to restock.”
Admittedly, Collins would prefer the winner is either a family displaced by Katrina or one that has never owned a home and had little chance for homeownership.
“But I can’t control that; everyone is eligible to enter and win,” he said.
“We’re all called to do what we can do and that’s all I’m trying to do, is my little part as quietly as possible.”
Staff writer David Migoya can be reached at 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com.
