image You can help the good folks at Housing Opportunities Made Equal — HOME — raise some much-needed cash.

(HOME fights for equal housing opportunity in Virginia, and it runs the Center for Housing Education, the Center for Housing Advocacy, and the Center for Housing Leadership. It’s been a good friend to VAR and Virginia Realtors.)

Here’s how it works:

On September 19, the Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia is holding the 2012 Amazing Raise to, well, raise money for Central Virginia non-profits.

This year it’s offering incentives. It’s giving “prizes” (read: donations) to the organizations that receive the most $50 donations during the event.

The organization with the most $50+ donors will receive a grant of $20,000. Second place gets $15,000, and third place gets $10,000.

HOME doesn’t expect to be in the running for one of those grants, but there’s another part of the Amazing Raise it thinks it could get: The first 15 organizations to receive 50 donations of $50 or more will each get a $2,500 prize.

The Amazing Raise starts at 6:00 AM. What HOME would love is for you — yes, you — to set your alarm for 5:55 on September 19, go to GiveRichmond.org, and make a $50 donation to help HOME be one of those 15 winners.

Too early for you? No worries. You can give the money beforehand, and HOME will “officially” donate it at the right time. Just call (804) 354-0641 and say you want to make a donation for the Amazing Raise.

Click here for more information about HOME.

And click here for more about the Amazing Raise.