Freedom Mortgage Corporation Accepting Submissions for 4th Annual Celebrate Freedom Award Contest

Boca Raton, Florida – March 1, 2023 Freedom Mortgage, one of the largest full-service independent mortgage companies and a top Veterans Administration (VA) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lender in the U.S., will begin accepting submissions today for the fourth annual Freedom Mortgage Celebrate Freedom Contest. The winner will be announced on July 4, 2023, at the Wawa Welcome America Festival in Philadelphia during the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony presented by Freedom Mortgage.

The Celebrate Freedom Contest is open to all service members, veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers. Entrants must submit a photo and an essay of 1,500 characters (with spaces) or less based on their personal experience that answers the question: “What does freedom mean to me?”

“At Freedom Mortgage, the Celebrate Freedom Contest has become a cornerstone program that allows us to honor our nation’s heroes—service members, veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers,” said Stanley C. Middleman, president and CEO of Freedom Mortgage. “We want to hear from those who dedicate their lives to protecting the health and safety of our communities. We’re honored to recognize one of these heroes on Independence Day.”

As an incentive to encourage submissions for the Celebrate Freedom Contest, Freedom Mortgage will make a $10 donation for each of the first 600 submissions—up to $6,000—which will be divided between both Feeding America® and the USO (United Service Organizations). This donation to Feeding America will help provide at least 30,000 meals to people facing hunger.

The Celebrate Freedom Contest grand prize award winner will receive a trip for two to Philadelphia to attend the Wawa Welcome America Festival on July 4 and receive a check for $10,000 from Freedom Mortgage.

The contest runs from March 1 until 5:00 p.m. EST on April 28. The grand prize winner will be notified in June. For full rules and to enter the Freedom Mortgage Celebrate Freedom Contest, visit freedommortgage.com/celebrate. Click here for a video about the contest and previous Celebrate Freedom Award winners.

Through Team Freedom Cares, the company’s employee engagement and philanthropic program, Freedom Mortgage strives to better the communities in which it operates. Click here to watch a recap of Freedom Mortgage’s philanthropic activities in 2022. For more information, visit www.freedommortgage.com/community.

About the Wawa Welcome America Festival

Wawa Welcome America is Philadelphia’s premier Independence Day festival, the largest July Fourth celebration in America, and one of the largest free festivals in the country. Wawa Welcome America offers residents and visitors alike sixteen days of free, family-friendly programming across the city, with a focus on arts, culture, diversity, education, wellness, history, and performance. Festival attendees can enjoy free concerts, fireworks, complimentary museum access, Wawa Hoagie Day, and more!

In 2021, Wawa Welcome America expanded the festival to include a new slate of programming entitled “Freedom – Liberty,” in commemoration of Juneteenth. The expansion, in partnership with African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) and VISIT PHILADELPHIA®, has been designed by AAMP to provide education and awareness of Juneteenth, and to explore the historical significance of and thematic ties between these two important U.S. holidays.

Wawa Welcome America is committed to creating platforms to nurture diverse perspectives and raise diverse voices, and to celebrating our nation’s evolving history through the lives, voices, and experiences of all Americans. Visit welcomeamerica.com for more information about this year’s celebration.

About Freedom Mortgage Corporation

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, Freedom Mortgage is an independent mortgage company that provides mortgage loans through retail, wholesale and correspondent channels. One of the nation's largest non-bank mortgage lenders/servicers, the company is licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Freedom Mortgage is a top VA and FHA (government-insured) lender in the U.S. (Inside Mortgage Finance, Jan-June 2022), and one of the mortgage industry's largest philanthropic supporters of the USO of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The company is also renowned for its vibrant work environment where all team members can thrive. Earlier this year, Freedom Mortgage was honored for the third year in a row as a Top Workplaces USA. Last year, Freedom Mortgage made it back on the Inc. 5000 Honor Roll for the eighth time as one of the fastest-growing companies across the country. Freedom Mortgage's mission is to foster homeownership for all consumers across America. Lender NMLS ID: 2767. Equal Housing Opportunity. For more information, please visit FreedomMortgage.com.