Event Coverage
Seniors Grateful to RSVP Volunteers
Every year in May, as part of the REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP), SILVAR REALTORS® and affiliates assist seniors and the homebound with household tasks they can no longer perform on their own. RSVP is now on its 10th year, and this week, volunteers helped seniors in SILVAR's five districts with simple chores like washing windows, installing smoke detector batteries, flipping mattresses, light vacuuming, dusting, replacing light bulbs, changing furnace filters and trimming bushes.
Many seniors expressed their gratitude for the work done by the association's RSVP volunteers. Gloria from Los Altos, who is 81 years old and lives alone, was especially thrilled. Gloria cannot get around much on her own and has difficulty cleaning her house. It was the first time she availed of the service. The senior homeowner was in awe and near tears, as RSVP volunteers Nancy Carlson and Camille Elder proceeded to dust her furniture and vacuum and sweep her floors, while Tom Martin, Stella Zhu, Bernie Sinsay and Nick French washed her windows and trimmed the bushes outside her home.
"Thank you, thank you," a 91-year-old Sunnyvale senior resident repeatedly told the RSVP volunteers after they had flipped her mattress and washed her windows.
Then there's Peggy, 63, who is homebound and confined to wheelchair. The Mountain View resident is stricken with poliomyelitis (post polio syndrome), arthritis, and suffers from a spinal cord injury. She underwent surgery at Stanford Hospital in the fall and was later transferred to Valley Medical Center, where she was taught new living skills. Her closest relative is a sister who lives out of state.
This is the fourth year Peggy has availed of the free service. She beamed as Rick Parker and Michael Adams moved her television to a better location so she could get a better view. Alfredo Ramirez, Nisha Sharma and Marli Szpaller moved boxes and furniture out of the way, so she could maneuver her wheelchair and function independently in her home.
"I can't thank them enough for doing this. This has been my family's home since 1959. I live alone, but I can't think of any other place where I would rather live. This is my home," Peggy exclaimed.
In Los Gatos, 73-year-old Barbara, who is bedridden, was grateful that volunteers cleaned her refrigerator and stove, dusted and vacuumed her floors. "I think it's wonderful that there are people like you that can help people like us who cannot move around anymore," she exclaimed.
At the end of the day, the SILVAR members felt it was all worthwhile. "It's been a humbling experience," commented David Kim, who chairs RSVP in the Los Altos/Mountain View District along with Susan O'Brien. "There are seniors in the area that definitely needed our help and we are glad we could give it."
"Many seniors don't see a lot of the things that need to get done in their homes as they get older and don't realize they are putting their health at risk if these chores are not done," said O'Brien. "It's important to reach out to our seniors and I'm glad we have been able to do something for them and make a difference in their lives."
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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.
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