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The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presented a $1,500 grant to the Edgewood Center for Children and Families at Monday’s Menlo Park/Atherton District meeting. John Tripp, 2012 president of the Charitable Foundation, presented the check to Jamilla McCallum, kinship program director of the San Carlos center.
Edgewood Center for Children and Families helps children and families take back their future by working with them to overcome severe challenges like abuse, neglect, mental illness and crisis. The center is the oldest children’s charity in the western U.S., and began as a refuge for Gold Rush orphans. Edgewood now serves more than 5,000 children and families in the Bay Area each year, offering a broad range of behavioral health, family support, and educational services.
McCallum explained the center’s kinship program helps relatives of those who need help, she explained. Family members often step up to fill the gap when a crisis situation takes parents from a child. These “kinship caregivers” often have special needs themselves, linked to age, poverty, poor health, social isolation, and inadequate access to information and services. The Edgewood Kinship Program addresses the unique needs of each caregiver and child by providing referrals to basic services and a break from daily stresses.
Tripp thanked SILVAR members for their support of the Charitable Foundation. He urged members to continue giving to the Foundation. The Charitable Foundation grants support three main causes: families, youth and housing. He noted these grants would not be possible without the help and support from SILVAR members.
SILVAR’s Cupertino/Sunnyvale District raised $1,100 at its annual Valentine Charity Auction yesterday. Mark Burns served as auctioneer. Burns and auction organizer Carolyn Miller enticed members to bid generously on numerous items, including a twosome round of golf, dinner reservations, plush stuffed animals, chocolates, clothing and accessories, and gift certificates.
This year’s event was well-attended. Scott Fleming, a new SILVAR affiliate, won the big auction item. For his top bid of $350, he received two tickets to a San Jose Sharks game. The tickets were generously donated by Mark Burns, Chris Shupp, Miranda Jung, Kyle Chuang and Richard Miller.
The District thanks everyone who supported the auction. Auction proceeds go to a number of charitable projects the District supports.
“Thank you to all who participated,” said Miller, who has been in charge of the annual auction for the past four years.
Miller also conveyed a special thanks to the affiliates for their strong support and cooperation. “You are again commended on your wonderful cooperation in this event. The participation and support you give to our district is over the top!” added Miller.
Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®’ (SILVAR) REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP) will take place May 7 -11 this year. Volunteers are needed for this special community outreach program, which is dedicated to helping seniors in the communities where SILVAR members work and live.
This year, each district has set aside special days in the week of May 7 – 11 to help seniors in their community:
Cupertino/Sunnyvale District: Wednesday, May 9
Los Altos/Mountain View District: Wednesday, May 9
Los Gatos/Saratoga District: Thursday, May 10
Menlo Park/Atherton District: Wednesday, Thursday, May 9-10
Palo Alto District: Wednesday, Thursday, May 9-10
RSVP is a worthwhile project, and SILVAR REALTORS® and affiliates are encouraged to volunteer their time and skills to help the elderly and the homebound in their respective communities. During RSVP week, REALTORS® and affiliates visit the homes of seniors who are physically and financially challenged and provide free assistance with household tasks like replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters, washing windows, turning over mattresses, changing smoke detector batteries and other similar household tasks.
RSVP has expanded on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, with volunteers from the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® and the Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS® joining SILVAR and the SAMCAR (San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®) members in this outreach project. The program now serves seniors and the homebound living as far north as Daly City and as far south as Santa Cruz.
“We are really proud that every year our members have stepped up to help the seniors in their community. Last year, a total of 247 volunteers from SILVAR helped 146 seniors in the association’s five districts. This year we hope to significantly increase the number of our REALTOR® and affiliate volunteers,” said Eileen Giorgi, SILVAR’s RSVP Committee Chair.
Volunteer now by clicking on the link below, completing the volunteer application and faxing it to SILVAR at (408) 200-0101. You may also call SILVAR at (408) 200-0100 and ask that an application be mailed to you.
The deadline to volunteer is Saturday, March 31.
RSVP VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
Deadline for seniors to apply for this free service is Thursday, March 15.
RSVP SENIOR APPLICATION
For questions about RSVP, please contact SILVAR at (408) 200-0100.
District Chair Doug Evans is pictured here with Debbie Burkholder, assistant director of the Lucile Packard Foundation Children’s Fund.
SILVAR’s Los Gatos/Saratoga District presented $2,000 to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health at the district’s tour meeting on Wednesday. District Chair Doug Evans presented the donation to Debbie Burkholder, assistant director of the Lucile Packard Foundation Children’s Fund.
The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health works in alignment with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the child health programs of Stanford University. The donation from the district is earmarked to support research in Ewing sarcoma, a malignant bone tumor that affects children.
Ewing sarcoma as a devastating cancer that can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, but usually develops during puberty, when bones are growing rapidly. This type of cancer usually strikes between the ages of 10 and 20, and occurs more frequently among male teen-agers.
The donation is part of the proceeds from the Los Gatos/Saratoga District Charity Golf Tournament, held in July at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose. The event raised $7,000 for charity. The remainder of the proceeds will be presented by the district to the following local non-profit groups at its upcoming tour meetings: Los Gatos Education Foundation, $2,000; Los Gatos Community Foundation, $1,500; Los Gatos Public Library, $1,000; and Operation Reindeer, $500.
SILVAR’s Los Gatos/Saratoga District Charity Golf Tournament is sold out! However, if you are interested in sponsoring this special event, Hole Sponsorships are still available. Please contact Kelly Dadsetan at (408) 200-0100 or email kdadsetan@silvar.org soon.
The Los Gatos/Saratoga District Charity Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, July 11 at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club, 23600 McKean Road in San Jose. Registration is at 10:30 a.m., with a Shotgun Start scheduled for 12 p.m. (Scramble Format) and awards ceremony with appetizers and no host cocktails slated for 5 p.m. The grand prize is a certificate for a foursome of golf with carts donated by Coldwell Banker (Los Gatos office) at Half Moon Bay Golf Links http://www.hmbgolflinks.com/.
Thank you in advance to the following generous sponsors for their support:
Lunch Sponsor:
Thrasher Termite & Pest Control – Janet Thrasher
Appetizer Sponsor:
First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation
Beverage Cart Sponsors:
State Farm Insurance Agents Yvonne Kendall & Laura Peterson
Tour Factory – Darrell Monda
Hole Sponsors:
Alain Pinel Realtors- Los Gatos
Cort Furniture Rental
JCP-LGS Disclosures
Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer
Princeton Capital
Property I.D.
Von Kaenel Real Estate
Tee Bag Sponsor:
Harrell Remodeling, Inc.
For sponsorship details, please contact Kelly Dadsetan at (408) 200-0100 or email kdadsetan@silvar.org.
The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presented a $1,500 grant to Project Read – Menlo Park Literacy Partners at Tuesday’s Menlo Park/Atherton District meeting.
Project Read-Menlo Park Literacy Partners is a free adult literacy program that offers one-on-one literacy instruction for adults with the help of volunteer tutors, to help improve reading, writing, and pronunciation skills in English. Programs include one-on-one tutoring, adult basic education, English as a Second Language (ESL), families for literacy and computer literacy lab. The program is supported in part by the City of Menlo Park. This year, Literacy Partners, a new nonprofit group, formed to support adult literacy in Menlo Park and now focuses on fundraising for the program.
Charitable Foundation Trustee John Tripp is pictured here with Roberta Roth of Project Read-Menlo Park with the big check.
Charitable Foundation Trustee John Tripp presented the check to Roberta Roth, literacy outreach specialist and board member of Literacy Partners. Roth thanked SILVAR members for their constant support during the past four years. She said need has grown and invited members to volunteer as tutors. Roth said Project Read also accepts donations of computers to help support its computer literacy workshops. Anyone interested in donating a computer may contact the Menlo Park Library at (650)330-2500.
The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation donated $44,800 in 2010 to different non-profit organizations that help low-income individuals and families in Silicon Valley. The Charitable Foundation is a trust which makes grants available to organizations from donations by REALTORS®, affiliate members and friends of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR).
The grant recipients are from SILVAR’s five districts – Los Gatos/Saratoga, Cupertino/Sunnyvale, Los Altos/Mountain View, Palo Alto and Menlo Park/Atherton. The 2010 recipients include Abilities United (formerly Community Association for Rehabilitation), Assistant League of Los Gatos/Saratoga, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, Christmas Bureau of Palo Alto, Cleo Eulau Center, Community Health Awareness Council, East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, Family & Children Services-F&CS – (including FAST-Families and Schools Together), Friends for Youth, Friends of Deer Hollow Farm, Friends of Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, JustREAD (on Campus of Mountain View/Los Altos Union High School District), Kara, Reading Partners, Support Network for Battered Women, Via Services, Westwind 4-H Handicapped Riding Institute and Youth Community Services.
Also in 2010, as part of its Scholarship Program, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presented a $1,000 scholarship grant to each of 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in the Silicon Valley communities. 2010 is the 11th year the Foundation has been assisting students with the scholarship grants.
“Local nonprofits have been hit hard by the weak economy and unemployment,” said 2010 Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation president Lisa Keith. “We thank our members and friends who, even in this difficult year, have been very generous with their donations.”
At a recent Menlo Park/Atherton District meeting, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Trust presented $2,500 to the Westwind 4-H Riding Program for the Handicapped. Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation President Lisa Keith (right) presented the grant to Judy Lookabill, board member of the Westwind Riding Institute.
Non-profit organizations operating within the areas served by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® are eligible for grant consideration provided they meet the evaluation criteria below. Grant applicants are evaluated on the following guidelines:
- The community need for the expenditure, as well as the number of people who will be served;
- The impact on the recipient organization;
- The location of the community served; (Although requests for state, national and international projects are considered, preference is given to projects with a more local base.)
- The financial soundness and efficiency of the organization;
- Accuracy and completeness of the application;
- The structure of volunteer organization and level of volunteer support; and
- Appropriate use of the Foundation’s previous grants (if applicable).
The Charitable Foundation Trustees meet quarterly (March, June, September, and December) to evaluate applications. Applications must be received by Feb. 15, May 15, Aug. 15, and Nov. 15 in order to be considered at the quarterly meeting. For more information and details about the Charitable Foundation grants and an application form, visit www.silvar.org, or call SILVAR at (408) 200-0100.
Member of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) presented three grants this week, which will help children and, hopefully, make their holiday season brighter.
At the Menlo Park/Atherton District meeting on Monday, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Trust presented $2,500 to the Westwind 4-H Riding Program for the Handicapped. Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation President Lisa Keith presented the grant to Judy Lookabill, board member of the Westwind Riding Institute.
Westwind 4-H Riding for the Handicapped has been providing horseback riding instruction for children with physical handicaps since 1978. Westwind Community Barn in Los Altos Hills is the home base of the Westwind 4-H riding program.
- Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation President Lisa Keith and Judy Lookabill, board member of the Westwind Riding Institute, hold the big check.
Lookabill thanked SILVAR members for the donation and continued support of the 4-H program. She said the benefits of horse riding are both psychological and physiological. The program builds confidence and self-esteem; develops coordination and balance; and is one of the few recreational activities, other than swimming, that is truly physically therapeutic, since it requires the involvement of the whole body and utilizes every muscle and joint.
On Wednesday, SILVAR’s Los Gatos/Saratoga District presented a check for $3,990 to EMQ FamiliesFirst in Los Gatos. The donation came from proceeds from the district’s annual pumpkin auction. Los Gatos/Saratoga District Chair Bill Rehbock presented the check to Bettina Kohlbrenner, executive director for fund development for the agency.
Los Gatos/Saratoga District Chair Bill Rehbock is pictured here with Bettina Kohlbrenner, executive director for fund development for the agency.
EMQ (Eastfield Ming Quong) FamiliesFirst helps children in crisis and their families. The agency provides shelter and care to children who are displaced and whose families are unable to care for them, so that they can recover from trauma, abuse and addiction, and rebuild their lives. Kohlbrenner said the agency currently cares for 40 children in the area. She thanked the district for its generous donation.
“Your donation will help make the holidays brighter for these children,” Kohlbrenner told SILVAR members.
At the Thursday Cupertino/Sunnyvale District tour meeting, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presented a check for $1,250 to Child Advocates of Santa Clara and San Mateo. Charitable Foundation trustee Carolyn Miller presented the check to Kathy Williams, CASA board director.
Child Advocates of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers to work one-on-one with abused and neglected children. A CASA volunteer speaks up for a child’s best interests, helping to ensure that he or she will live in a safe and loving environment and has the resources needed to grow up healthy and strong. Williams said the child advocates are “like big brothers and big sisters with teeth,” who serve as champions of the children and look out for their best interest.
Charitable Foundation trustee Carolyn Miller and Kathy Williams, CASA board director, hold the big check.
The Foundation’s grant will help underwrite the cost of recruiting, training and supervising additional volunteer advocates for the over 200 children currently on their list. Williams thanked SILVAR for the donation and noted it comes at a good time, and will provide great help for the children during the holidays.
Child Advocates of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers to work one-on-one with abused and neglected children. A CASA volunteer speaks up for a child’s best interests, helping to ensure that he or she will live in a safe and loving environment and has the resources needed to grow up healthy and strong. Williams said the child advocates are “like big brothers and big sisters with teeth,” who serve as champions of the children and look out for their best interest.
The Foundation’s grant will help underwrite the cost of recruiting, training and supervising additional volunteer advocates for the over 200 children currently on their list. Williams thanked SILVAR for the donation and noted it comes at a good time, and will provide great help for the children during the holidays.
Also, in late November, SILVAR members of the Palo Alto District celebrated the district’s annual Partners in Education(PiE) Campaign and presented a check for $30,740 to the PiE Foundation and Palo Alto Unified School District.
Palo Alto Partners in Education is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting Palo Alto public elementary, middle and high schools by raising money to meet classroom needs otherwise left unfunded. PiE funds support programs in art, home to school translations, math and science.
Palo Alto District PiE Campaign Chair Desiree Docktor is pictured here with PAUSD Superintendent Kevin Skelly.
Thank you to all SILVAR members who generously contribute to the Charitable Foundation and district fundraisers that help individuals and families in need in communities where members live and work!
Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® says ... 