High Point, NC - A Triad woman spent $100 on a raffle ticket to win a house. It's not a bad price to pay for the American dream of owning a home.
And, low and behold her ticket was the winner. So the next line should be how soon was she going to move into her new house, right?
Before you answer think about his line, "charity starts at home." And what the owner did with the house, will leave you speechless and oh yeah, you'll need a box of tissue for the rest of this story.
"I didn't buy a ticket to profit from the house," said Mena Parrish, new owner of the raffled High Point home.
Parrish won a newly renovated two bedroom and one bath house in a raffled on Saturday, July 28th. So what did she do...her initial thought was to let her friend who survived cancer live in the home free of charge.
"I was sitting with my family and they said you know what Mena, this is not luck...this is God," said Parrish.
Charity Belton is now the new tenant of Parrish's luck.
"I thank God for what I've been going through because I've been able to make connections and meet people, who have a heart for people," said Belton.
After battling through the hardest fight of her life, Belton continues to fight.
"The fight that I have on inside is from God," said Belton.
Now she's living cancer free and rent free as well. She gave News 2's Tony Smith a tour of her new home.
"This allow me to save money, build capital and get re-established into the community. And save, save and give back," said Belton.
And why Parrish would allow someone to live in her new home for free?
"It's for charity. And Charity and I have got to be really good friends in the past year in a half," Parrish responded.
Belton is planning on moving into her new home within the next couple of weeks. The raffle was sponsored by the Friends of John Coltrane and Share of North Carolina.
WFMY News 2