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REALTOR®: Silicon Valley REALTORS® help seniors with household tasks

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) visited the homes of seniors May 5-9 and helped them with household tasks as part of SILVAR's REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP). This is the 13th year Silicon Valley REALTORS® have provided the free service to seniors living in Silicon Valley.

During one week each year in May, REALTOR® and affiliate members of SILVAR visit the homes of seniors who are physically and financially challenged. They help them with simple household tasks, like replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters, washing windows, turning over mattresses, changing smoke detector batteries and light yard work.

RSVP is a community outreach project launched by SILVAR in 2001 to assist seniors and the homebound in communities in the association's five districts of Menlo Park/Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos/Mountain View, Cupertino/Sunnyvale and Los Gatos/Saratoga. The program has expanded on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, with volunteers from neighboring REALTOR® associations helping seniors in their respective communities.

The seniors are very grateful for the assistance. A 95-year-old Palo Alto senior homeowner said she was at first unsure about receiving the help, but has now availed of the program for the past four years. "I am so pleased," she exclaimed. "I have a caregiver who checks up on me, but the things they do she cannot do."

RSVP volunteers Gil Oraha and Yosana Tewolde washed the senior's windows and Steve Greenbaum cleared cobwebs outside. Meanwhile, Kacy Buchin did some dusting inside the senior's home and Jeff Beltramo replaced her furnace filter.

Another senior homeowner said she was just so glad that the REALTOR® volunteers could clean her windows and mirrors and dust her cabinets. "It's wonderful that they give up their time to help us," said the senior. "I used to do everything, but it's the high things I can't reach."

The REALTORS® say they receive more than they give. Tewolde, who is a first-time volunteer, said, "I think the program is awesome. I'm grateful for the opportunity to interact with them and help the seniors in the neighborhood."

Owen Halliday said he has met many wonderful seniors during the 10 years he has served as an RSVP volunteer. "There are a lot of folks that have no one else to help them. We live in a great community, and it's nice to give back," said Halliday.

SILVAR RSVP chair Eileen Giorgi thanked the volunteers for helping out during a busy housing market season. "It is so great that we have continued to give back to our communities year after year. It's important to our seniors that we are there for them," said Giorgi.

Approximately 180 volunteers from SILVAR assisted 123 senior households this year. In Palo Alto, 40 SILVAR members were able to assist 30 senior households.


The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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