Silicon Valley REALTORS® continue to raise money for charity. Last week, members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® Los Gatos/Saratoga District presented $2,000 to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Doug Evans, chair for the local district, presented the donation to Debbie Burkholder, assistant director of the Lucile Packard Foundation Children's Fund.
The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health works in alignment with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the child health programs of Stanford University. The Foundation's mission is to elevate the priority of children's health, and increase the quality and accessibility of children's health care through leadership and direct investment. The donation from the Silicon Valley REALTORS® is earmarked to support research in Ewing sarcoma at Stanford School of Medicine. Ewing sarcoma is a malignant bone tumor that affects children.
Burkholder thanked the district for the generous donation. She described Ewing's sarcoma as a devastating cancer that can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, but usually develops during puberty, when bones are growing rapidly. This type of cancer usually strikes between the ages of 10 and 20, and occurs more frequently among male teen-agers.
"Your donation will make a difference in our research and new treatments," said Burkholder.
The donation is part of the proceeds from the REALTOR® district's Charity Golf Tournament, held in July at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose. The event raised a total of $7,000 for charity. The remainder of the proceeds will be presented by the district to the following local non-profit groups at future meetings: Los Gatos Education Foundation, $2,000; Los Gatos Community Foundation, $1,500; Los Gatos Public Library, $1,000; and Operation Reindeer, $500.
Also early in October, Silicon Valley Realtors raised over $3,200 at a softball fundraiser in which Team 408, which included members of the Realtor group's Los Gatos/Saratoga and Cupertino/Sunnyvale districts played Team 650, members from the Menlo Park/Atherton, Palo Alto and Los Altos/Mountain View districts. With a final score of 5 to 1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Team 408 won the game and the trophy.
Lehua Greenman, chair of the event, noted that the real winner of the event was the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation. "I'm very happy that the Menlo Park/Atherton District could host an event that brought the entire SILVAR association together," said Greenman. "I want to thank everyone for supporting our charitable foundation by participating in this event, by sponsoring, playing, coaching, umpiring, hosting, cheering, and being part of a great crowd."
The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation is a trust which makes grants available to organizations from donations by its REALTOR® and affiliate members and friends. "The charitable foundation is committed to the welfare and prosperity of the communities where SILVAR members live and work. Through our contributions and member involvement in our fundraising events, we strive to help create more productive and enriched communities," added Greenman, who is also a trustee of SILVAR's charitable foundation.
Non-profit organizations operating within the areas served by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® are eligible for grant consideration provided they meet the foundation's evaluation criteria. For more information and details about the charitable foundation grants, 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 email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.