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SILVAR RSVP Volunteers Help Many Grateful Seniors


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Friday, May 10, 2013

This week, for the 12th consecutive year, volunteers from SILVAR lent a helping hand to seniors and the homebound in their communities through SILVAR's REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP). The seniors, who ranged in age from their early 60s to 100 years old, were more than grateful for the help they received.

Senior homeowners expressed their thanks in many ways – by personally thanking the volunteers, by sending fruit home with the volunteers, and by immediately sending notes and emails of thanks. The following note was emailed by a Los Altos senior homeowner the morning after RSVP volunteers visited her home:

"Your wonderful volunteers came to my home yesterday and provided great services for me! I am so grateful."

A Mountain View homeowner who has been receiving help from RSVP volunteers for many years, exclaimed, "These REALTORS® are a godsend! I am so grateful that I am one of the beneficiaries of the program!"

Another senior homeowner who is partially blind was appreciative of the help she received from volunteers Trish Eby and Sandy Wihtol, who planted some flowers, hung Christmas light holders, cleaned her fan blades, spot cleaned her carpet, drilled cup holder hooks and changed the bedroom curtains. She said she has been availing of the program since its inception.

"I look forward to their coming every year. My list starts the day after they leave," said the senior homeowner..

In Sunnyvale, Jin Chen, Hui Sefton and Miranda Jung flipped a mattress, changed smoke detector batteries and trimmed shrubs for a 98-year-old senior homeowner. "It's wonderful having them come and help me. They are all so cheerful and willing to do the work," said the homeowner.

In Los Gatos, Jalayne Forrester, Lori Rose, Kelley Solberg, Barb Werner, Bobby Delgado and Eileen Giorgi cleared cobwebs in ceilings, washed windows, flipped a mattress and picked lemons and oranges for a senior homeowner who can no longer do these chores by herself.

In Palo Alto, Jeff Beltramo, Lisa Wittkopf and Tom Anderson were busy changing smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries and replacing light bulbs for an 86-year-old homeowner who lives alone and has no relatives to rely on for help.

Then there was the jovial gentleman, who proudly told Menlo Park/Atherton RSVP volunteers Lehua Greenman, Judi Kiel and Diane Rothe that he is turning 100 in a few days. Still sharp and insisting he still can water his plants and lift weights on his own, the homeowner said he appreciated the volunteers' help washing his windows.

For the volunteers, RSVP means giving back to the community. It's a break from their work and gives them a good feeling that they are helping seniors who have contributed to their community. The volunteers also said RSVP helps keeps the seniors safe and allows them to remain independent and live in their homes for as long as they can.

"Many seniors definitely need our assistance. If they can be safe with our help, they can stay in their homes for as long as possible," said Nancy Domich, who has been an RSVP volunteer for the past eight years.

"It's definitely a safety issue for many of them. Their yards get overrun and sometimes they disable the smoke detector, or don't realize it's no longer working. It's our way of letting them know that someone cares," added Kim Copher.

Kristi Totten, the RSVP chair for Silicon Valley - YPN, said she is glad she and YPN chair Sherry Sisemore were able to rally members of the group of young real estate professionals to join the program. "It's definitely a worthwhile program and we're glad to be involved,' said Totten, an RSVP volunteer for the past two years.

The RSVP volunteers said many seniors appreciate the conversation. "We are also able to provide them with the opportunity to have conversations with other people. Many are lonely and would just like someone to talk to. It's a great satisfaction to listen to them tell their stories," said Rob Mibach.

The volunteers remember their own parents and realize that someday, too, they will grow old. Julie Baxter got choked up recalling her own parents. "My parents are in their 80s and don't live in the area. I am just glad I can help someone like them," said Baxter.

"You are all wonderful people! Everybody can know that REALTORS® don't just sell homes," a happy senior exclaimed, as she bade the volunteers goodbye.

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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, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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