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REALTORS® Will Assist Seniors with Household Tasks May 16-20

Deadline for senior applications is February 28.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

For seniors who are physically and financially challenged, tasks like replacing smoke detector batteries, flipping a mattress or washing windows can be a major chore, especially if relatives who can help them don't live nearby. Seniors and the homebound in need, who live on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, may request free assistance with these household tasks through the REALTORS®  Service Volunteer Program (RSVP), which will take place the week of May 16-20.

RSVP is a community outreach program offered each year to qualified seniors who cannot otherwise perform certain household tasks due to physical and financial constraints. Certain guidelines apply.The deadline for seniors to request assistance is Monday, February 28.

During RSVP Week, teams of REALTORS®  and affiliates (professionals who provide industry-related services) will visit senior citizens and perform various cleaning and maintenance tasks free of charge. Seniors can request to have light bulbs replaced, furnace filters changed, windows cleaned, mattresses turned or new smoke detector batteries installed.

This is the 10thyear the free assistance is being offered to seniors by local REALTORS® . The annual hands-on effort was organized in 2001 by members of the Sili­con Valley Association of REALTORS® , the local trade association of the real estate industry on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. RSVP has since expanded to include volunteers from the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® , Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS®  and Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS® . Last year, 461 RSVP volunteers from the Bay Area provided free assistance to 325 senior households; 275 REALTORS®  and affiliates from the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®  assisted 152 senior households in the local trade association's five districts (Menlo Park/Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos/Mountain View, Cupertino/Sunnyvale and Los Gatos/Saratoga).

"RSVP is our way of giving back to the communities where we live and work, especially to our senior citizens who have contributed so much to our society," said Eileen Giorgi, Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®  RSVP Committee chair. "By helping our seniors who are physically unable to do these tasks and cannot afford to pay to have them by someone else, we can show our appreciation for what they have done for us."

Senior homeowners and renters with physical and financial constraints who live in the communities of Atherton, Campbell, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Woodside, Portola Valley, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Los Gatos may apply for services by contacting the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®  at (408) 200-0100, or visit www.silvar.orgfor more information and to download an application. Seniors have until Monday, Feb. 28 to apply for the free service.


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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