SILVAR Realtors award over $52,000 in grants, scholarships, donations in 2020

Silicon Valley Realtors, through the Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation, and through individual and district contributions, awarded over $52,000 in grants, scholarships, and donations in 2020.

The Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, donated $39,500 in 2020 to different non-profit organizations that help homeless and low-income individuals and families in Silicon Valley. The amount includes scholarship grants to graduating seniors from public high schools in the Realtor association’s service areas.

SILVAR districts gave to local non-profit groups in their services areas, as well. Cupertino-sunnyvale District presented $875 each to Sunnyvale Community Services and West Valley Community Services; Los Gatos-saratoga District, $2,500 to the Family Giving Tree; and Los Altos-mountain View District, $500 to the Madrigals of Mountain View High School.

In the absence of live fundraising events due to COVID-19, SILVAR’S five districts partnered with the local non-profits to brighten the holidays for individuals and families in need. Members of the Cupertino-sunnyvale District made personal donations Sunnyvale Community Services and West Valley Community Services. Los AltosMountain View District members donated to Community Services Agency.

Members of the Menlo Park-atherton and Palo Alto Districts donated to Life Moves, and Los Gatos-saratoga District members donated to Family Giving Tree. Both non-profits created links exclusively for donations from SILVAR Realtors. To date, Realtor donations to both sites amount to over $8,500.

“Increasing home prices and rents had already taken a toll on many residents and the pandemic further hurt and displaced even more families in our region,” said Eileen Giorgi, president of the Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation. “We are thankful with our members’ help and generosity that we are able to continue our commitment to the welfare and prosperity of the communities where we work and live.”

The 2020 Charitable Foundation grant recipients include Adolescent Counseling Services, which has family therapists and support groups for teens and young adults in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties; Animal Assisted Happiness, which seeks to enrich the lives of youth with needs through barnyard animal interactions and mobile visits; Community Services Agency, which provides vital social services for residents in need in Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills; East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, which promotes educational opportunities for students in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park; Jeremiah’s Promise, which seeks to guide foster teens and young adults as they take on life’s challenges; Mentor Tutor Connection, which seeks to enhance the academic and life skills of students through individualized tutoring and mentoring; Westwind 4-H Riding for the Handicapped, which provides children with disabilities the opportunity to have fun while improving their coordination and strengthening their muscles; and Youth Community Service, which provides service learning and leadership activities to underserved students in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto.

The Realtor charitable foundation also supports further education for

U.S. veterans. The John Tripp Silicon Valley Realtors Scholarship grants $500 awards to veterans enrolled at Foothill and Deanza colleges. The late John Tripp was a Korean War veteran and past president of SILVAR and Realtors’ charitable foundation.

Information provided in this column is presented by the Realtor members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors at www.silvar.org. Send questions on any topic to rmeily@silvar.org.