Fairway Independent Mortgage Plans To Sponsor 100 Service Dogs

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, Fairway Wholesale Lending and the American Warrior Initiative (AWI) recently teamed up to give away a service dog to a deserving military veteran. Elizabeth Stephens, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a mother of three children, was surprised with the news last week in Seattle, Washington.  

Fairway founded the non-profit AWI in 2015 to help fund local branch efforts to aid deserving veterans.  

“In the past six years, Fairway has funded almost 200 service dogs for veterans,” said Louise Thaxton, AWI director and co-founder and a Fairway branch manager. “Our goal is to fund 100 service dogs in 2021.”  

The giveaway marks the first time Fairway Wholesale Lending, which underwrites and closes loans purchased from mortgage brokers, sponsored a service dog for a veteran.  

“Our team has watched Louise and AWI give away many service dogs and we really wanted to be a part of that,” said Holly Mattson, vice president of Fairway Wholesale Lending. “Fairway’s wholesale platform came together to sponsor a service dog and has plans for more in 2021.”  

The effort aligns with the way Fairway Wholesale Lending approaches its work, Mattson added. “We always provide a human touch in our work. That doesn’t always exist at companies. The brokers we work with know that we will bend over backwards to help their borrowers out.”  

Stephens graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and joined the Marine Corps as a pilot. She made an incredible impact during her 19-year military career and was the first female African American to fly an A46 and to fly the Osprey.  

“I had no idea that I would be receiving a service dog,” Stephens said. “I am a bit overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of Fairway and AWI. I know how much of a difference it will make in my life to have a partner I can count on. The service dog will be with me all the time – sort of like a battle buddy.”  

“Fairway Wholesale Lending truly rose to the occasion by raising the funds for the service dog,” said Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation CEO Steve Jacobson. “It’s the same dedication the folks in our wholesale division show to brokers and borrowers.”