By Michele J. Kuhn
LITTLE SILVER – Danielle and James Mason are looking forward to May as a “banner month” at their business, MDE Home Loans, LLC.
The Masons have known for a while that the month will be a special one because the company proudly will be displaying the Paint the Town Pink banner for “Little Pink” this year. The sign is expected to be in place sometime around April 29 and will stretch across the top of the building where their offices are located at 26 Ayres Lane Place. Their landlord, Matt Cohen of Two Rivers Title Company, gave the Masons an enthusiastic “yes” when they asked if they could put the banner on his building, Danielle Mason said.
“We’re excited to be part of this,” she said.
Danielle, who is the company’s chief financial officer, figures that their participation has been about 15 years in the making and “hits close to home” because her uncle is an oncologist in the area who specializes in treating breast cancer patients. “The topic of breast cancer and breast cancer awareness has been a part of our family for a long time,” she said.
She also had the example of a previous employer, Ralph Lauren, which created the Pink Pony Fund, a worldwide initiative fighting the disease.
Breast cancer “is one of the areas where we not only want to give our money to but also our time,” she said. “When we came to Little Silver – we’re actually from Middletown – we loved the community and we really wanted to give back. I think the biggest part about Paint the Town Pink is the people who work on the (Little Silver) committee. They are amazing.
“We’ve been going to events since its inception and decided to jump on board as a business,” she said. MDE Home Loans is a corporate sponsor for Paint the Town Pink.
“Six years ago when Paint the Town Pink began in Little Silver, our friends played a key role in the startup and personally, we were proud supporters,” Danielle said. “Now it is our turn to take the lead.”
Danielle sees MDE Home Loan’s participation with the mammogram awareness campaign as a natural fit with the company’s philosophy.
“MDE Home Loans is a mortgage company which specializes in making ‘Mortgage Decisions Easy’ for people. James has over 20 years of experience in the industry and his No. 1 goal is customer service – educating borrowers, ensuring they are mortgage-ready and financial healthy,” she said. “The corporate philosophy of MDE Home Loans directly parallels the philosophy of Paint the Town Pink: Bring awareness and education to a meaningful cause.”
Those at MDE are also getting an opportunity to see exactly how the fundraising arm of Paint the Town Pink impacts people. An employee who can’t afford to get a mammogram will be getting one via the Pink Fund, established to help those who are uninsured or underinsured get a mammogram. “It’s nice to see it work directly,” Danielle said.
The Masons are working on the details of specific events – not yet finalized – to help raise awareness in Little Silver this coming month. Their company is located across the street from the railroad station and they see that as a definite plus for delivering a message.
They have come to support the Paint the Town Pink effort because it “directly helps the community and people can go get a mammogram for free … We all forget to go to the doctor and this is one thing that’s not enjoyable but it’s got to be done every year,” Danielle said.
