Luxury Real Estate

By Jim Walberg of Caribbean Islands Realty

Jim Walberg and his fellow Rotarians completed another map of the USA on the playground of Tassajara Hills Elementary School - 40 feet long and 25 feet high! It is part of our continued support of education projects in our community.

Since our local Rotary Club was founded in April 1989 it has been serving the many needs of our East Bay communities. During the past 20 years, we have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of people hours to address these local needs. Many of our Rotary Club’s community projects have been focused on educational needs of our school districts. We call one of them “The Maps Project”. Several years ago we learned of a map painting kit that was painted on elementary school playgrounds to assist kids with their understanding of our country’s geography. It sounded as if it was a winner of addition to any school.

We contacted our local school district and opened a discussion with them regarding how it could be of benefit to school kids to better understand the geography of our country. They accepted our invitation to paint this map on all of the elementary schools in the district. Yesterday we completed our eighth USA map on the playground. It has evolved into a very organized operation which now allows us to pull it off in just one day. Yesterday we are done from start to finish in must under six hours because of many volunteers showing up to help.

One of the ways that “Service Above Self” is learned by our younger generations is by modeling it. We invited local high school students and students from Tassajara Elementary School to assist us with yesterday’s project. So, you had young and old working together to create a magnificent end result. There were smiles and high-fives all around as we admired the finished product. The last step of any of the maps we have painted is having the Mississippi River painted along its entire route with it ending at New Orleans. What a great day.

During yesterday’s project I overheard many conversations among the adults and students about when our next project would take place because they wanted to make sure they helped us again. The “virus” of community service continues to be spread as we are always on the lookout for the needs within our community that need to be addressed. Our “army” of volunteers has now expanded to include high school and elementary students who also want to give back to their community.

You may remember my daily mantra, “To whom much is given, much is required.” As long as we are still breathing our work is not over on this earth in order to make it a better place. So, what does community service have to do with East Bay real estate? The quality of life of a community is a key factor as to why people want to live in our region. We want to make sure we are doing our part to improve the life experiences of all who live here. Contact me anytime if you would like to join us on any of our community projects. Until next time…your lifestyle detective remains on duty in the East Bay.

By Jim Walberg of Caribbean Islands Realty

The Wheelchair Foundation is honored to have Wines For Wheelchairs partner with them in providing mobility for those in the world who cannot walk.

Saturday night several hundred people joined the Wine for Wheelchairs group in honoring Sully Sullenberger for his heroic landing of the US Air jet in the Hudson River. A member of the group was so moved by Captain Sully’s heroics that she purchased an entire container of wheelchairs to be delivered to East Bay veteran facilities to assist with those who cannot walk. Jeff Behring and The Wine For Wheelchairs Annual Black Tie Ball invited Captain Sully and his wife Lorrie, to be their honored guests in presenting this gift in his name. What a night of moving stories and celebrating “Service Above Self”.

In June of 2000, Ken and Pat Behring, announced to the world that they were committing their time and resources to create mobility for those in the world who cannot walk. They created the Wheelchair Foundation as their way of giving back to the world that has been so good to them. From that moment, what has evolved is a partnership with Rotary International to create matching grants for anyone who would like to donate a wheelchair to those less fortunate. David Behring, Ken and Pat’s son, now is the president of the foundation and leads it’s efforts to provide a wheel chair for every person in the world who needs one. It only takes a donation of $150 to purchase a wheelchair and the remainder of the cost is paid by the Wheelchair Foundation and Rotary International. Today, over 750,000 wheelchairs have been delivered all over the world!

Over 150 million children, teens and adults worldwide are in need of a wheelchair but cannot afford one. In many developing countries, the only way for a person with physical disabilities to be mobile is to crawl along the ground or be carried by family or friends. An all-too-common reality is that many people stay in bed or the corner of a room for years at a time.

Wine for Wheelchairs was co-founded by Gordon Holmes of LookOut Ridge Winery, uses wine as a medium to purchase wheelchairs for those in need. They work with wineries including Lookout Ridge Winery to host events, offer specials, and draw attention to the worldwide need for wheelchairs. On Valentine’s Day 2008 for example, Arrowood Winery hosted a wine tasting, and all $6,000 in proceeds were donated to purchasing wheelchairs. In cooperation with Lookout Ridge Winery and The Wheelchair Foundation, Wine for Wheelchairs donates wheelchairs to needy individuals around the world when you purchase their wines.

California’s most recognized winemakers have teamed up with Lookout Ridge Winery and The Wheelchair Foundation to use their winemaking skills to donate wheelchairs for needy individuals. You know my love of great wines. What a great way to enjoy great wines and also give back to this critical world need in such a dramatic way. If you would like more information as to how you and/or your community can get involved in the Wheelchair Foundation project please contact me and I will provide you all the information you will need.