October 24, 2005

Grant, Griffith & Jones donate $44,000 to Silver Oak

Five years of donations top $175,000

Like counting on the sun to rise each morning, Silver Oak Elementary School has come to trust in the annual generosity of Grant, Griffith & Jones.

(Back row, from left) Ron Jones, Bonnie Griffith, Marge Brigadier, Diane Grant and Scott Grant turn over a $44,000 check to representatives of the Silver Oak Educational Partnership, Silver Oak Principal Nancy Milo and a group of appreciative Silver Oak students.

For the fifth year in a row, these community-minded realtors from Windermere Silicon Valley Properties have bestowed the school with a generous gift—$44,000 to be exact in 2005. This brings the total of their gifts to the school above $175,000.

The gift stems from the realtors’ “Great Commission Giveaway” donated each spring at Silver Oak’s annual dinner and auction. Scot and Diane Grant, Bonnie Griffith and Ron Jones help the winning bidders sell their home and donate the commission from the sale of that home to Silver Oak Educational Partnership (SOEP) at the close of escrow.

A win-win for all
In addition to helping the school, Grant, Griffith & Jones have helped families save on the commission when selling their homes. This year, Marge Brigadier of Evergreen’s Silver Creek area bid on the Great Commission Giveaway.

Brigadier had helped out with the annual fund-raiser for Silver Oak in the past and knew of the annual donation—even though she had no students attending the school. “It was an interesting concept, but I had never been selling my house while they offered the deal,” she said.

This year, Brigadier was moving and thought, “What the heck? I already had gotten an offer on my house. If the school gets something, why not?”

Grant, Griffith & Jones had sold Brigadier the house she was living in, and she knew they would be selling it for her again as she planned to move to Pacific Grove. “They give up their entire commission. I didn’t do anything,” said Brigadier modestly, noting that she actually saved about $6,000 on her commission by bidding about the same amount bid last year.

“To me, it’s amazing that they continue to do this,” added Brigadier. “If every school had one realtor who could offer to donate the commission on the sale of one house, every school could benefit.”

Brigadier sang the praises of the team. “I just think they’re tremendous. I have to give credit where it’s due. They did a great job of selling my house. I had all the support I could ask for. They were a joy to work with—and they’re just nice people.”

Donation funds many programs
According to Debbie Roelands of the Silver Oak Educational Partnership, the $44,000 donation will support programs in foreign language, music appreciation, arts attack, technology, conflict resolution and science. SOEP continues to support the Step-Up to Writing program to further enrich the student’s writing skills. 

Funds are also being slated for upgrading the school’s technology and providing technical support for existing equipment. Classroom grants are being provided to every teacher so that the classrooms can be further enhanced with educationally enriching materials. In addition, SOEP will be co-sponsoring the lower and upper grade school plays. The music program is run by professional musicians.  

“We are sincerely grateful for the generous contribution to SOEP by Grant, Griffith & Jones,” said Roelands. “Their ongoing financial support and genuine concern for the education of the children in this community is remarkable. We thank Grant, Griffith & Jones for their vision and willingness to invest in the education of our children.”

To find out how you can save commission on selling your home while also helping to fund programs at your local elementary school, call broker Dave Walsh at Windermere Silicon Valley Properties at (408) 239-5800.