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REALTOR®: Realtors give back to seniors in their communities

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

During the week of May 7-12, 570 Realtors and affiliates on the Peninsula and in the South Bay visited nearly 400 households and helped senior residents and the homebound with household tasks the residents cannot do on their own. In the five districts of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors® (SILVAR), which include the communities of Palo Alto, Menlo Park/Atherton, Sunnyvale/Cupertino/Santa Clara, Los Gatos/Saratoga and Los Alto/Mountain View, 350 volunteers helped 208 senior residents.

The week-long activity is part of SILVAR's Realtor Service Volunteer Program (RSVP), an annual outreach program in which Realtors and affiliates help seniors and the homebound with household tasks like washing windows, installing smoke detector batteries, flipping mattresses, light vacuuming, dusting, replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters, trimming bushes and installing house numbers.

Some seniors SILVAR Realtors and affiliates helped included an elderly gentleman who was just recovering from a fall and a bout with pneumonia; another elderly married couple who explained the husband, 82, had undergone a triple bypass a few years ago and his wife, 70, has emphysema; an 82-year- old woman whose 60-year-old daughter worked full-time; and an 84-year-old lady who is hard of hearing and has glaucoma and osteoporosis.

A Los Gatos woman, ailing with arthritis and osteoporosis, said she has availed of the service for the past three years. She beamed when Chris Mazzucco and Gwyneth Hansen began washing nearly 20 windows in her home.

"This program is fantastic for seniors," she exclaimed. "I am so pleased. I can't believe these ladies will take the time out to do this. Every person who has come here to help me each year has been wonderful."

It was Hansen's second year as an RSVP volunteer and Mazzucco has been with the program since it started in 2001.

"I love helping people. It's a wonderful way to reach out to the community and give back," said Mazzucco. "It's a way of connecting with people and remembering that we're all part of each other."

In Palo Alto, 87 Realtors and affiliate helped 57 senior households. Palo Alto residents Charles and Ruth Clark warmly greeted SILVAR's RSVP volunteers John St. Clair III, Jo Anne Dolan, Pam Page and Dan Dykwel when they arrived at their home, ready to trim the branches off their trees.

"We can't do everything like we used to do. We're happy and pleased with what's offered and appreciate it," said Charles Clark.

"This year we were able to significantly increase our number of Realtor and affiliate volunteers, as well as the number of seniors whom we were able to assist," said Eileen Giorgi, who heads SILVAR's RSVP program.

At the end of the week, the volunteers were tired, but pleased with their accomplishments. One Realtor remarked, "These are things we take for granted in our lives that people need help with. It's good to know that we can help."

"It is very rewarding to share conversation and friendship with these seniors and complete basic and necessary household tasks for them," said Giorgi. "And it is also very satisfying at the end of the RSVP week to know we have made a valuable contribution in giving back to our communities."
 
The annual community service program was started by Realtors in each of the five districts of SILVAR in 2001. RSVP was then adopted as an official association community outreach project the following year by the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. The program expanded to members of the San Mateo County Association of Realtors in 2003. The Fresno Association of Realtors followed suit two years ago. This year, members of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors came on board and assisted seniors living from San Jose to Gilroy. There are plans to expand the program to more Realtor Associations in California and around the nation.


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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.

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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