Central Valley St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway Raises $1,000,000 For St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

The 2021 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway house, built by sponsor De Young Properties was given away to Mark Alson of Fresno who was selected as the lucky winner of the approximately 2,144 square foot home in the De Young Trailside II at Loma Vista community in scenic Clovis during the November 21 Giveaway on FOX26. “It is very exciting and totally unexpected!” Mark says, “We always buy a ticket because it is for a great cause, but we never thought we would ever win anything as wonderful as this!”

Mark has been a long-time supporter of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway campaign. “We have been participating in the Dream Home Giveaway for as long as we can remember, perhaps since it began 15 years ago,” Alson said. He just couldn’t believe it when he received the phone call on November 21 letting him know he had won the 2021 St. Jude Dream Home. “We were out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday week for vacation and were out to dinner. We had no idea that the drawing was that Sunday evening. I got a call and it just came up on my phone as "wireless caller", so I ignored it as I always do with an unknown caller. I figured if it was important, they would leave a message. The person did not leave a message, but kept calling back over and over until I finally answered. When I did, she said something about supporting research, and I said "no thank you, we are at dinner" and hung up. She then called back another 4 or 5 times and I kept not answering until finally I handed the phone to my wife and asked her to deal with this persistent person. My wife answered and Vanessa from St. Jude pleaded with her "Please don't hang up on me!!". So, my wife let her proceed and explain that we had won the Dream Home,” Alson recalled.

One of Mark and his wife’s favorite aspects of the 2021 St. Jude Dream Home is the Residence 210 floorplan itself, “It is a very effective use of space. We especially love the interior courtyard with the outdoor fireplace!” Alson said, “It is a beautiful home! Excellent craftsmanship, and a lot of impressive upgrades throughout the home. We have owned other houses, but never one as well built as this. Just gorgeous.”

Mark had nothing but kind words for all those who donated and helped build the St. Jude Dream Home. “First of all, we would like to send our appreciation for donating all of the time and labor to help a very worthwhile cause in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Secondly, we would like to say that we really appreciate all of their expert time and labor that they put in to make the home so beautiful. Finally, we are especially appreciative of all of the good wishes and blessings they added under the great room carpet. We think that is a really special touch!”

With the new year and the 2022 St. Jude Dream Home just around the corner, Mark encourages people to reserve a ticket when they become available, “Buy a ticket! It is a great cause, and who knows, you could be surprised like we were and win a HOUSE!”

Since 2007, De Young Properties has been a sponsor of 15 St. Jude homes, helping to raise over $14.5 million to help the kids of St. Jude fight cancer and other life-threatening childhood diseases. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to St. Jude, which works around the clock to develop cures to save the lives of boys and girls, including children in the San Joaquin Valley.

“We strongly believe in our responsibility to help others, and our entire De Young team is grateful to our community’s continued support of our business – which is why we are passionate about giving back,” said Paula De Young of De Young Properties. She says, “St. Jude is committed to conquering childhood cancer and their vision for perfection is truly inspiriting. Our passions align with their vision, and that is what motivates us to drive forward to reach our goals to improve the quality of life for children worldwide and especially in Central California. We are honored to be a sponsor of our 15th St. Jude Dream Home in this war against childhood cancer. Each home we build imbues this enduring drive, which allows us to partner with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

De Young Properties combines their contribution and efforts with the generous help of trade partners who donate their time, labor and resources to build this quality crafted home.

Paula added, “We’d like to thank all of our business affiliates, De Young team members, other donors and volunteers for joining us in the mission to beat pediatric cancer; we are proud to work alongside each of you. Together, we made a difference because we have assisted cancer researchers in finding more important cures to make someday, today! It’s all for the kids!”

For the full list of prize winners, click here.