Press Releases
SILICON VALLEY REALTORS® CHARITABLE FOUNDATION PRESENTED OVER $53,500 IN GRANTS, DONATIONS, SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2014
- For Immediate Release –
Cupertino, CA – In 2014, the Silicon Valley REALTORS®® Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), presented $53,559 to different non-profit organizations that help homeless and low-income individuals and families in communities where SILVAR members live and work. Funds this year also went to scholarships for graduating seniors from high schools in the region.
The 2014 grant recipients include ALearn, a nonprofit organization committed to helping underrepresented students in 11 school districts in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties get to and succeed in college; East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, a community-based, all-volunteer organization whose mission is to promote educational opportunities and academic success for students in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park; JustREAD, a cross-generational program composed of retired professionals in the Los Altos and Mountain View communities who are trained as tutors to teach reading and writing basics to students who did not learn these skills in earlier grades; and Youth Community Service (YCS), which provides community service, service learning, and leadership activities to underserved students in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto in grades K-12.
As part of its annual scholarship program, the Charitable 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 15 years.
SILVAR's districts, through the Charitable Foundation, also donated to their local community nonprofit organizations in 2014. These donations include $4,275 raised at the annual Los Gatos/Saratoga District pumpkin auction and donated by the district to the Family Giving Tree for Operation Reindeer; $1,494 from the Cupertino/Sunnyvale District's annual Valentine Charity Auction for backpacks for needy students through West Valley Community Services and Sunnyvale Community Services; $2,090 from donations at the Los Altos/Mountain View District's Legal Update sessions presented to the Community Services Agency; and $18,700 raised by the Menlo Park/Atherton District donated to M-A Partnership for Success.
In addition to voluntary contributions from members, grants are funded by proceeds from the local trade association's district fundraisers. Members of the Los Gatos/Saratoga District raised $3,441 from their annual bocce ball tournament. Members of the Los Altos/Mountain View District raised $4,650 from their second annual pumpkin auction.
"We thank our members for being so generous and supporting the Foundation year after year," said John Tripp, 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 can 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 Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Board of Trustees along with Tripp are Eileen Giorgi, Lehua Greenman, Carolyn Miller, Paul Cardus and Susan Sweeley. For more information and details about the Charitable Foundation grants, visit www.silvar.org or call SILVAR 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.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.