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REALTOR®: Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Presented $63,000 in Grants in 2008

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

In 2008, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation donated a little over $63,000 in grants to non-profit organizations that help homeless and low-income individuals and families in Silicon Valley. The Foundation is a trust which makes grants available to organizations from donations by REALTOR® and affiliate members and friends of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®.

The 2008 grant recipients are from the local REALTOR® association's five districts, namely Los Gatos/Saratoga, Sunnyvale/Cupertino, Los Altos/Mountain View, Palo Alto and Menlo Park/Atherton. The recipients included Abilities United (formerly known as Community Association for Rehabilitation C.A.R), Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Assistance League® of Los Gatos/Saratoga, Challenge Learning Center, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, Christmas Bureau of Palo Alto, Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC), Community School of Music & Arts (CSMA), Community Services Agency, Day Worker Center of Mountain View, Design Response, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Family & Children Services-F&CS-(Including FAST-Families and Schools Together), Friends for Youth, Friends of Deer Hollow Farm, Habitat for Humanity, Health Trust ( Meals On Wheels), Hospice of the Valley (HOV), JustREAD (on Campus of MV/LA Union H.S. District), Menlo Park Library Foundation, My New Red Shoes, Operation Reindeer (In connection through American Red Cross), Partners for New Generations-Rotary Club of Los Altos, Peninsula Association For Retarded Children & Adults (Parca), Peninsula Volunteers, Project Cornerstone, Project Read- California Literacy Campaign, Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley (Formerly Christmas In April), St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School, Support Network for Battered Women, The Role Model Program, Via Services, Westwind 4-H Handicapped Riding Program- Westwind Riding Institute and Youth Community Service (YCS).

Also in 2008, as part of its Scholarship Program, the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation presented $1,000 to18 graduating seniors from public high schools in the Silicon Valley communities. In addition, SILVAR REALTORS® and affiliates raised over $25,000 for the Housing Industry Foundation through the association's annual Home for the Holidays charity event, which is held in October. They also raised over $40,000 for the Palo Alto Unified School District, as part of the annual Palo Alto REALTORS® Campaign for Partners in Education.

"Our goal for 2009 is to have 100 percent participation by our membership," said 2009 SILVAR Charitable Foundation president Joanne Fraser. "In 2008, requests of over $556,405 in grants came to the foundation. Unfortunately, we only had enough funds to give $63,050 and had to decline many requests."

Fraser encouraged REALTORS® and affiliates to continue with their donations this year. "Although the current economy provides challenges on a personal level to each of us, it provides perhaps a greater need at the community level. Local nonprofits have been hit exceptionally hard by the crisis," Fraser said.

Non-profit organizations operating within the areas served by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® are eligible for grant consideration provided they meet the evaluation criteria below. Grant applicants are evaluated on the following guidelines:

• The community need for the expenditure, as well as the number of people who will be served;
• The impact on the recipient organization;
• The location of the community served; (Although requests for state, national and international projects are considered, preference is given to projects with a more local base.)
• The financial soundness and efficiency of the organization;
• Accuracy and completeness of the application;
• The structure of volunteer organization and level of volunteer support; and
• Appropriate use of the Foundation's previous grants. (If applicable).

For more information and details about the Charitable Foundation grants and an application form, visit www.silvar.org, or call the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® at (408) 200-0100.


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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