DSVR introduces Home Maintenance for the Elderly to the San Ramon Valley

Rotary HOME Team Logo

HARD TO REACH LIGHT BULB?

LEAKY FAUCET?

RUNNING TOILET?

SMOKE DETECTOR BATTERIES “NEED CHANGING?”

SCREEN DOOR WON’T CLOSE?

The Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary Club is excited to announce the launch of a new program called Rotary HOME (Home Maintenance for the Elderly) Team, which will be providing a FREE basic household repair service for Seniors in the local community. This program was originated by the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club, and is a partnership with the Episcopal Senior Communities (ESC).

The Problem:

Seniors have a difficult time with many common household repairs due to their physical condition or safety issues. In some cases the cost of hiring a handyman or contractor to perform minor repairs is prohibitive, and there may not be any family able or willing to assist. Some of the repairs or maintenance items include:

Replacing light bulbs in hard to reach areas (ceilings, ovens, refrigerators), replacing batteries in smoke alarms (usually on a ceiling), leaking faucets, toilet tank malfunctions, squeaky doors and windows, damaged or torn screens, blown fuses or GFI resets, loose handles or drawer pulls, water heater temperature adjustments, etc.

The Solution:

Rotary wishes to identify seniors in the community who need assistance and to coordinate volunteer Rotarians to visit and make the necessary repairs at no cost to the senior.

With just a phone call or email seniors can request a 2-3 person team of Rotarians to stop by on a Saturday morning to handle the necessary maintenance issue. You’ll be asked for your name, address and phone number, along with a description of the maintenance need. Rotary will coordinate the teams and send them to you on a specific date. If your need is urgent we will do our best to accommodate you, but cannot promise a speedy reply.

When the Rotary HOME Team arrives they will introduce themselves and provide identification. They will review your request with you and ask you to sign a simple liability waiver. They will then determine what is necessary and complete the item(s). In the event the item needs additional expertise or is over and above the scope of our capabilities, Rotary will forward your name to the Episcopal Senior Communities’ senior service coordinator, who will attempt to assist you.

Upon completion of the maintenance item, the Rotary HOME Team will leave behind additional information that you might find helpful for other needs. Of course we would also like to hear from you about the service and we welcome your comments.

If interested in scheduling a visit, please contact Ruth Robeson with the ESC at 925-956-7363, or email your information to rotaryhometeam@hotmail.com.

Check out Bob Fuenzalida Training a Horse at Sonrise Open House

Recently our Rotary club participated in an open house at Sonrise Equestrian. Check out Bob “training” the horse.

Shelter Box Responds to Haiti Crisis

While searching for Rotary response to the crisis in Haiti I learned that Shelter Box is responding to the disaster. You can learn more about this great project here.

Shelter Boxes being prepped for delivery.

Rotarians Work to Beautify Del Amigo High School Quad

Rotarians at Work!

Rotarians at Work!

The Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary is working to rebuild the Quad area at Del Amigo High School.  “Del Amigo High School is the continuation High School for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.  Continuation education is a high school diploma program for student 16-18 years of age, whose needs are not met by the comprehensive high school setting.  In an alternative setting that offers more flexibility, students benefit from smaller classes, shorter schedules, student-centered curriculum, increased counseling services, and individualized options for learning credits. Young people who have not functioned well in a large traditional setting often find themselves succeeding, earning credits, and developing feelings of self-worth, personal responsibility and community identity. These students can choose to graduate from Del Amigo, return to their residence school, transition to adult education diploma program, or study and pass the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHESPE) or the General Education Development Test (GED).”  The Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary recognizes the need for a better environment for these students.  We are working to rebuild the Quad area into a more functional and useful area in the school.  We need community support to complete this project especially with architectural walkway concrete and landscaping services.  This campus beautification and improvement project will also benefit students in two other programs which call Del Amigo home – the Transition Classes for young adults with developmental disabilities and the county’s Marchus Center satellite program for students who need a small, structured self-contained classroom.  We are soliciting a dedicated partner or partners to assist us in this project.  Often forgotten these students in our community can and do go on to return to the community in great ways.  Your help is greatly appreciated.   Contact Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary or Jim Coleman (925) 997-9528 to offer assistance.

Dictionary Distribution a Success!

Today approximately 30 of our Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotarians distributed over 400 hard bound dictionaries to local 3rd graders. This is an annual project that our club has proudly participated in for many years.

Here is a video of the distribution: