Real Estate Articles
REALTOR®: Realtors Give Back to Their Communities through Realtor Service Volunteer Program
You may have seen a number of people busy at work this week in some homes in your neighborhood. A sign these workers placed outside these homes and the t-shirts they donned displayed a blue and yellow logo that identified them as volunteers of the Realtor Service Volunteer Program (RSVP). Throughout the week of May 5-10, volunteers from the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® were busy at work in numerous homes around the association's five districts as RSVP volunteers.
RSVP was started by SILVAR Realtors in 2001, and officially adopted as the association's community outreach project in 2002. The program has expanded to include members of the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®, the Fresno Association of REALTORS®, the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS®, and this year, the Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS®.
Every year in May, Realtors and affiliates take time from their busy work schedules to help seniors and the homebound with household tasks they cannot do on their own. These tasks include washing windows, installing smoke detector batteries, flipping mattresses, light vacuuming, dusting, replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters, trimming bushes and installing house numbers.
A Los Gatos senior homeowner said she suffered a bad fall last summer and had to undergo partial hip surgery. While she takes pride in still being able to maintain her independence, she noted, "I can't replace the furnace filter; I wouldn't even know where to start."
Valerie Brandt, Don Campagna and Bob Wilson were able to do that for her, as well as flip her mattress, replace her smoke detector batteries and clean her gutters.
"It's so nice of them to do this and not expect anything in return. They are wonderful people," Bernstein commented about the program and volunteers.
The Realtors are there to help seniors and not to promote their business. "Seniors need our help," said Don Campagna. "I have a mom, so I know the drill. They could use our help. It's a good thing for them."
"Just providing them the company and having people visit is something they appreciate," said Brandt, a longtime RSVP volunteer.
A senior homeowner from Sunnyvale lamented, "I used to do it all. Now, I can do little things, but not anything heavy or anything that needs modern education and is digital. And I'm not good on ladders. A lot more people need to know about this service."
She was grateful Elaina Najeeb-Brush and Hak Kim were able to flip her mattress and replace her smoke detector batteries.
An 83-year-old Palo Alto resident praised RSVP volunteers Lisa Wittkopf, Ernesto Nassau and Greg Celotti, as they took to the task of turning over her mattress, making her bed, and moving her dresser so they could clean behind it.
"They are wonderful," the senior exclaimed.
She explained she has a bad foot and it's been difficult for her to do heavy work around her home. "This service is great. It makes a difference whether I can function on my own," she said.
It's Wittkopf's second year as an RSVP volunteer, while Nassau and Celotti have been RSVP volunteers for the past four years.
"We're glad we can help. It's our chance to give back to the community and help our seniors. Seeing the smile on their faces after we do the work is satisfying enough," said Nassau.
Another homeowner who lives in Los Altos and is legally blind said she signs up for the service every year. "I don't know what I would do without them," she said, as Ki Nyborg prepared her flower bed, Diane Vernon trimmed her bushes, JoAnn Fishpaw washed her windows, and Gerry Lawrence repaired a hinge on her screen door.
In Saratoga, Dave Tonna's team was assigned to wash windows in three homes, one of which was an Eichler home, a home which features atrium space, sliding glass doors and many windows.
"At the end of the day, I know I'm going to be tired, but I'll also feel gratified I was able to help people," Tonna summed up the feelings of all the RSVP volunteers.
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.