Lou Anne Cottingham is in a tight race to win $10,000 through a contest being run by real estate company RE/MAX. She received enough votes in the first phase of the contest to put her as one of the top ten front runners for the big prize. Now she needs the support of the chemically sensitive community to push her to the winning spot. With the prize money, Lou Anne hopes to find a safe home to live in. A former missionary, teacher and coach, Lou Anne spent much of her young life ministering to the needs of others. Now she needs help herself. She writes in her essay on the RE/MAX website:

Homelessness, related to Chemical Sensitivities and Toxic Mold, is a hidden crisis that falls through the cracks in this country! My goal is to acquire land in its natural state, building safe cottages to accommodate myself, as well as others, that our bodies may rest and begin to heal.”

Public voting starts today, Wednesday, July 25. You can vote once a day, through next Wednesday, August 1, 2012. The grand prize winner will be announced August 2.

To vote for Lou Anne’s story, click here: Longing for a Place to Call Home, then click on the red “vote” button. You will be asked to fill in a captcha code and input your email address. It’s as simple as that. There is an easy “share” button you can click to post this story to your Facebook page and other social media sites.

Alternately, you can go to the RE/MAX homepage and find Lou Anne’s story “Longing for a Place to Call Home” there. Click on the red “vote” link to place your vote.

When one of us with severe chemical and mold sensitivity wins, we all win. Please make the effort to vote for Lou Anne every day this next week and share widely on your social media pages. If Lou Anne wins this contest, it will bring much needed media attention and validation to the issue of homelessness for those with MCS. Please vote today for each of us struggling to tolerate our homes, or searching for a safe place to rest our head each night.

Good luck Lou Anne!