Heroes of the economy

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When Marilyn Mock accompanied her son to a foreclosure auction in October, she walked away with more than she bargained for. She got a house, a friend and a new calling.

While sitting on a bench at the auction, she heard a woman sobbing nearby. "She wouldn't stop crying," Mock says. "When her house came up, she got up and left. I pulled her back and asked her over and over, 'Is it worth it?' She kept saying, 'Yes!' but kept pulling away. She had no idea what was going on. I didn't know where it was, or what it was, but I knew it meant a lot to her."

Mock decided to buy it, and won the auction at $30,000. "It all happened so fast. When I lost sight of her I thought, 'What am I going to tell my husband?'" she says.

The woman Mock helped was Tracy Orr. And she offered her a deal: Orr could stay in the house, paying monthly until her debt was resolved.

In November, Mock set up the Foreclosure Angel Foundation to help those in similar circumstances to Orr. Thus far, the foundation has been fueled mainly by Mock's own savings and profits from her business, a company that builds rock retaining walls. FAF has helped three families - in Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina - stay in their homes.

And as for Orr? "We are such good friends," says Mock. "We talk every other day, at least!" -- E.M.

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