The Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation donated $93,000 in 2016 to non-profit organizations that help the homeless and low-income individuals and families in Silicon Valley. Funds this year also went to scholarships for graduating seniors from public high schools in the region.
The Realtor charitable foundation is a trust which makes grants available to organizations from donations by Realtors and affiliate members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR). In addition to voluntary contributions from members, grants are funded by proceeds from the local trade association's district fundraisers, like the Los Gatos/Saratoga district annual bocce ball tournament and the Los Altos/Mountain View district annual pumpkin auction. The local trade association represents over 5,000 Realtors and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
The 2016 charitable foundation grant recipients include Adolescent Counseling Services, which provides a network of skilled family therapists and support groups for teens and young adults in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties; Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, which seeks to provide stability to children who have experienced abuse and neglect; East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, which promotes educational opportunities for students in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park; Friends of Deer Hollow Farm, an educational farm located in the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve; JustRead, a cross-generational program composed of retired professionals who teach reading and writing basics to students who did not learn these skills in earlier grades; LifeMoves, which provides services to enable the homeless to return to stable housing and self-sufficiency; Westwind 4-H Riding for the Handicapped, which provides children with disabilities the opportunity to have fun while improving their coordination and strengthening their muscles; and Youth Community Services, which provides service learning and leadership activities to underserved students in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto.
From money raised to support further education for U.S. veterans, the Charitable Foundation presented $10,000 each to Palo Alto University and West Valley Community College, and $25,000 to Foothill-De Anza Foundation, an auxiliary organization of the Foothill-De Anza Community Colleges District for the creation of "The John Tripp - Silicon Valley Realtors Veterans Scholarship Endowment." Tripp was a veteran of the Korean War and past president of SILVAR and the foundation.
As part of its annual scholarship program, the foundation presented a $1,000 grant to each of 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in Silicon Valley. The foundation has been assisting students with the scholarship grants for the past 17 years.
The Realtor group's districts, through the foundation, also donated $6,195 raised at the annual Los Gatos/Saratoga district pumpkin auction to the Family Giving Tree for Operation Reindeer; $1,350 each to the West Valley Community Services and Sunnyvale Community Services backpack programs for needy students and $1,000 to the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation raised by the Cupertino/Sunnyvale district; and $1,797 raised by the Los Altos/Mountain View district to Community Services Agency.
"It has become more costly to live in Silicon Valley, so we thank our members for being so generous in supporting the foundation year after year," said Eileen Giorgi, president of the Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation. "With our members' continued support for and contributions to the communities where they work and live, we are able to continue our commitment to the welfare and prosperity of these communities."
The charitable foundation trustees meet semi-annually to evaluate grant applications. Serving on the foundation's board of trustees are Giorgi, Phyllis Carmichael, Chris Isaacson, Karen Trolan, Denise Welsh and Paul Cardus.
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 email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.