The Silicon Valley Realtors Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, recently created a scholarship endowment for student veterans attending Foothill and De Anza colleges.
The John Tripp-Silicon Valley Realtors Veterans Scholarship Endowment was formally presented to officials of both colleges last week at Los Altos Golf & Country Club.
The scholarship endowment honors Tripp, a longtime realtor who died Dec. 27, 2015. He was a veteran of the Korean War and served his country with distinction from 1947 to 1956.
A realtor for more than 50 years and past president of SILVAR and its charitable found ation, Tripp was instrumental in Realtors Honor Veterans, a fundraising event held last year to establish a veterans scholarship fund to support eligible U.S. veterans residing in SILVAR’s service area who wish to further their education. The event raised approximately $40,000.
Earlier this year, the foundation presented $10,000 each to Palo Alto University and West Valley College. The remaining funds were directed to the scholarship endowment at the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, an auxiliary organization of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.
“In all he did, John emphasized education, ethics and the Golden Rule,” said foundation President Eileen Giorgi. “The opportunity to grow through education was very near and dear to his heart, and with the establishment of this endowment, we honor his contributions to our community and our profession.”
According to Tess Chandler, executive director of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, the endowment is a perpetual scholarship that will grow through the years.
“This endowment will give our student veterans from both colleges needed assistance to reach their academic goals,” she said.
Chandler added that Foothill and De Anza colleges provide outstanding academics and opportunities for student veterans to attain their goals at an affordable cost.
“Many of our veterans try and reserve the use of their GI Bill education benefits for the more expensive four-year institutions and truly do need additional assistance while attending our colleges,” she said. “Many of our student veterans are underserved, first in their family to attend college and/or are working more than one job and supporting families.”
The endowment will award two $500 scholarships annually – to a student on each campus. The funds can be used for book vouchers, student fees or other education expenses.
The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors provided information for this article. For more information, email Rose Meily at [email protected] or visit silvar.org.
