Event Coverage

Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presents $2,500 grant to My New Red Shoes

Growing up in a poor family, Heather Hopkins’ mother dreaded the first day of school because she was so worried she wouldn't have anything presentable to wear when she walked into her classroom. When she heard her mother’s story, “it broke my heart,” Hopkins told Palo Alto Realtors and affiliates on Feb. 2. She said her mother’s story motivated her to start My Red Shoes, to help change the story for other children, “so they can start the school year with pride.”

On June 2006, My New Red Shoes became the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses solely on providing brand new school clothing to children throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

At the February 2 Palo Alto Tour Meeting, Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation trustee Judy Ellis presented Hopkins with a $2,500 grant from the Foundation. Thanking SILVAR members, Hopkins said last year, My New Red Shoes enabled 350 homeless and low-income children “start the school year on the right foot.”

The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation grant will enable My New Red Shoes to provide brand new first-day-of-school outfits to 1,000 homeless and low-income families in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, so that children may arrive at school confident and ready to learn, instead of being distracted and ashamed of their clothing, said Hopkins.

This grant was made possible in part by sponsorship from the Heritage Bank of Commerce.

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.

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

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