Event Coverage
RSVP Volunteers Help Seniors This Week
The REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP), the community outreach project through which SILVAR members help seniors with household tasks they can no longer do on their own, took place this week. This year SILVAR partnered with the Avenidas Village (Palo Alto Senior Center) and offered the free service to senior homeowners who are members of the Avenidas Village Program.
On Wednesday and Thursday, more than 28 volunteers from SILVAR helped 18 senior households in Palo Alto. Some tasks RSVP volunteers performed for seniors include replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters, washing windows, turning over mattresses, changing smoke detector batteries, yard work and some light housekeeping chores.
Seniors welcome the help each year. This year marks the 17th year of SILVAR's RSVP program, yet not all seniors know about it. Joe, who is 83, and his wife Judy, 75, only learned about RSVP this year through Avenidas Village.
"When I heard about the program, I kind of wondered about it. I asked Judy if we should ask for help and she said, 'Why not, we could certainly use the help!'" said Joe.
The couple, whose only child lives in Chicago, needed help moving furniture and clearing things in their home. On Thursday, the team of Dave Barca, Jeff Beltramo, Pamela Ghandour and Tom Huff got to work right away. Barca and Ghandour packed books, games and other items on the couple's bookcase in boxes and helped move furniture, while Beltramo and Huff cleaned the couple's gutters and yard.
One 89-year-old senior exclaimed, "This is like a fairytale where the elves come and help!"
"My windows are cleaner than ever before!" said another happy homeowner.
"Your people did a fantastic job! Much better than my on-again-off-again 'risk by aging ... on a ladder' approach!" exclaimed another senior.
Volunteers also find it gratifying helping the seniors. "Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this project. It was truly food for my soul," said RSVP volunteer Cheryl R Smith.
"Thank you for giving us this wonderful opportunity," said Rina Gupta. After helping a senior with yard work, Gupta said she will cherish the experience and believes the senior "made quite a gardener out of me."
"We had a great time with senior homeowner Gerry, and sat down with her after to have a chat and hear her story. What an inspiration she is at age 92!!" said RSVP volunteer Ashley Banks. "It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Thanks again for leading up this meaningful, important and rewarding project!"
Thank you to Avenidas Village, Nancy Goldkamp and David Barca for coordinating the RSVP program this year.
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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.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.