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The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), presented scholarship awards to 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in Silicon Valley at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. Each recipient received a $1,000 scholarship.
Now on its 18th year, Charitable Foundation’s scholars program recognizes students who have exemplified outstanding achievements in academics, extracurricular/employment activities and community involvement. The selection committee includes representatives from the local business community, area high schools, area colleges and SILVAR.
Students who received scholarships, the schools from which they graduated, and the colleges and universities they plan to attend are: Manasa Gogineni, Cupertino High School (UC Davis); Meryem Esa, Fremont High School (Santa Clara University); Archer Olson, Gunn High School (UC Berkeley); Yu-Ying Chua, Homestead High School (UCLA); Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro, Leigh High School (Georgetown University); Simge Yildiz, Los Altos High School (UC Davis); Ginger Wang Brown, Los Gatos High School (Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo); Carolyn Zhong, Lynbrook High School (Carnegie Mellon University); Megan McDonnell, Menlo-Atherton High School (Northwestern University); Lucas Chang, Monta Vista High School (Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo); Shayla Joy Tonge, Mountain View High School (Chapman University); Zoe Dellaert, Palo Alto High School (University of Chicago); Aryan D’Rozario, Prospect High School (UC Santa Cruz); Megan Bettencourt, Santa Clara High School (UC Davis); Julie Cai, Saratoga High School (New York University); Ariana Sadar Ghahary, Westmont High School (UC San Diego); Poojita Dasika, Wilcox High School (UCLA); and Rogelio U. Sanchez, Woodside High School (UC Riverside).
“The seniors selected this year are very deserving of recognition not only because of their academic accomplishments, but also for their contributions to their communities,” said Charitable Foundation Scholarship Chair Nina Yamaguchi. “We are happy we are able to assist the deserving winners in the beginning of their college careers.”
The Charitable Foundation thanks the following members who presented the scholarships to the recipients at their respective senior award ceremonies: Chris Alston (Keller Williams), Mark Burns (Referral Realty), Nina Daruwalla (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Mary Kay Groth (Sereno Group), Penelope Huang (Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty), Young Jacob (Intero Real Estate Services), Theresa Loya (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), Bill Moody (Referral Realty), Russell Morris (Coldwell Banker), Moise Nahouraii (Referral Realty), Jose Padilla (Alain Pinel Realtors), Robert Reid (Keller Williams), Mary Tan (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage), David Tonna (Alain Pinel Realtors) and Denise Welsh (Alain Pinel Realtors).
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SEE 2017 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS HERE
SILVAR’s 2014 Installation Dinner is next week on Thursday, January 9, 6 p.m. at Villa Ragusa, 35 South 2nd Street in Campbell. At this special event, 2014 President David Tonna and the 2014 officers and Board of Directors will be officially installed.
Taking the oath of office with Tonna will be Chris Isaacson, President-elect; Phyllis Carmichael, Treasurer; Carolyn Miller, Past President; Suzanne Yost, Region 9 Chair; Lehua Greenman, Menlo Park/Atherton District Chair; Jeff Beltramo, Palo Alto District Chair; Bonnie Kehl and Joe Brown, Los Altos/Mountain View District Co-chairs; Sue Bose, Cupertino/Sunnyvale District Chair; Mark Von Kaenel, Los Gatos/Saratoga District Chair; Jeff Bell, Mark Burns, Eileen Giorgi, Bill Moody, Karen Trolan, At-large Directors; John Tripp, NAR Director; and Simon Offord, Affiliate Chair. The special awards for REALTOR® of the Year, Affiliate of the Year and Spirit of SILVAR will also be presented during the evening.
Thank you in advance to this year’s Installation Sponsors: Los Gatos/Saratoga District; Alain Pinel REALTORS® – Los Gatos, Saratoga and Almaden Valley; MLSListings Inc.; Kenneth Chan – HSBC; Sereno Group; Troy Harrison Property Inspections; Pacific Union Real Estate; and Daddario Roofing Company.

SILVAR past president and PRDS President Mark Burns, Charitable Foundation trustee Carolyn Miller and WVCS executive director Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto display the big check $2,000 to West Valley Community Services (WVCS).
This week, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presented $2,000 to West Valley Community Services, a private non-profit, community-based agency that provides direct assistance and referral services to over 6,000 individuals and families annually in the communities of Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, West San Jose and the unincorporated mountain regions.
Receiving the check from Charitable Foundation Trustee Carolyn Miller, Naiomi Nakano-Matsumoto, executive director of West Valley Community Services (WVCS), thanked SILVAR members. She said the 2011 Homeless Point in Time survey has indicated an estimated 7,042 individuals are experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County each night. While there are some signs the economy is improving, it doesn’t appear that way for some individuals and families, according to Nakano-Matsumoto.
Nakano-Matsumoto said the Charitable Foundation grant will support the WVCS Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP), a program which provides one-time financial assistance to prevent homelessness, hunger and utility disconnection for individuals and families experiencing unexpected financial setbacks.
WVCS also has the Haven to Home program, which provides supportive services and stable housing to homeless individuals and families; 30 homeless persons have been moved to permanent housing. The WVCS Transitional Housing Program houses 12 homeless men and six single mothers with a child. The program provides them with skills so they can secure permanent housing, find and maintain employment, and enhance income opportunity. WVCS likewise owns and operates Vista Village Apartments Complex, a permanent housing for low-income households.
Nakano-Matsumoto said the agency is in great need of volunteers to pick up, carry, as well as distribute food to the homeless. She added that they are short on food items. She said Second Harvest Food Bank, one of the groups with whom WVCS partners, is low on food items, so the agency has had to seek other partnerships to support its food program.
“It is such a rewarding feeling for all of our District members to be able to share with others in and around our local community. Naomi always fills us in as to where the money will be going. . . .always to great causes. We are so happy we’re able to send consistent contributions to this worthy cause,” Miller, who also serves as SILVAR’s 2012 president-elect.