OKC Couple Wins Final Shelter From News 9 And FlatSafe Tornado Shelters

<p>News 9 and FlatSafe Tornado Shelters surprised the final winner in our &quot;Shelter from the Storm&quot; sweepstakes.&nbsp;</p>

Monday, October 24th 2016, 10:48 pm

By: News 9


News 9 and FlatSafe Tornado Shelters surprised the final winner in our "Shelter from the Storm" sweepstakes. We showed up at a northwest Oklahoma City home to deliver the good news to an unsuspecting nanny.

Lauren Owen is a nanny to a young boy during the day. At home, her and her husband Jeff love on two little girls.

"Lauren and Jeff have fostered four girls over the past two years," said Robin Vorel, Lauren's Mother.

Unable to have children of their own, the couple opens their home and their hearts to foster children.

"Our mantra I guess has always been that I would rather hurt because they leave than them hurt because they never saw that somebody loved them," said Lauren Owen, shelter winner.

Jeff is training to become an Oklahoma City police officer. An illness forced Lauren to quit her full time job at DHS. Lauren also helps care for her grandfather, who is battling cancer.

"Lauren worries about her family being safe in the storms and with Jeff going nights on the police department she was worried about what she would do with the girls now that they're back," said Robin.

That's why Robin nominated the couple to win a FlatSafe storm shelter. David Payne and I surprised Lauren at the home where she works. We knocked on the door, and Lauren answered hesitantly.

David Payne: "How are you?" 
Lauren Owen: "I'm good." 
David Payne: "I'm David Payne from News 9." 
Lauren Owen: "Hey that's my mom." 
Lacey Swope: "I'm Lacey Swope."
David Payne: "How are you doing?"
Lauren Owen: "I don't know."
David Payne: "Before you panic. Your mom Robin, super sweet, wrote an amazing letter about you and your husband and being foster parents going above and beyond in helping kids so we thought 'you need something right?'" 
Lacey Swope: "Yes, yes!" 
David Payne: "So we along with FlatSafe tornado shelters, what are you gonna get?" 
Lauren Owen: "A storm shelter?" 
Lacey Swope: "Yes, you have won our Shelter from the Storm giveaway." 
Lauren Owen: "Oh, thank you." 
Lacey Swope: "You're very welcome."

"I'm so happy for her," said Robin. "I know she's probably embarrassed, but I'm happy for her."

Since Jeff was in police training, she called him while we were there to tell him the news.

"So we won this storm shelter from News 9," she told Jeff.

"Thank you guys very much, we appreciate it," Jeff said.

"We have been wanting to get a storm shelter since we moved to our house three years ago and especially since we started bringing kids into our house," said Lauren. "It's a huge blessing, we're very excited."

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