Rose Garden Resident
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Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Strong Roots: Gea Carr, who lives in the Rose Garden, is one of the YWCA of Silicon Valley's newest board members. Her great-grandmother Evelyn Hammer was the nonprofit's first Jewish director on the board.
New YWCA board member has rich history with the organization
By Lynn Crocker
Gea Carr added another chapter to her family's long history of service with the YWCA of Silicon Valley. At the end of June, Carr was appointed to its board.
"My family has always been involved with the YWCA, and in 1959 my great-grandmother, Evelyn Hammer, was the first Jewish director on the board," Carr says. "We have a tradition of community services in my family. It is very important to us, so we try to give back and support the community we live in."
Keri McLain, CEO of the YWCA of Silicon Valley, is enthusiastic about having Carr on the board.
"Gea is going to bring a lot of experience and history to this organization," McLain says. "She is very busy, and I know squeezing in one more commitment is a challenge for her. But this is obviously important to her, which just goes to show that no matter what someone has going on in their life, there is always time to give something back."
Carr and McLain became acquainted at the YWCA of Silicon Valley's 100-year anniversary celebration a few months ago.
"I was so impressed with the organization and the scope of services, that I was moved to want to do something to help," Carr says. "I thought about just volunteering, but when I got a call from Keri asking me to join the board, I decided to go this route."
Carr says her goals on the board are to enhance the nonprofit's fundraising and help as many people as possible.
"There are a lot of people out there who need our programs and are not aware of exactly what we do," she said.
All YWCA of Silicon Valley programs and services are made available on an income-based sliding scale; some are free.
In addition to the scope of services offered by the YWCA of Silicon Valley, Carr says she was attracted to the mission of the organization, which is to eliminate racism and empower women.
"As a person of mixed race and the single mother of a 14-year old daughter, the mission of the YWCA is something I really believe in," she says.
Carr, who was raised in the Santa Clara Valley, has a background in modeling and acting, which enabled her to travel extensively and live in Paris and New York. Initially her daughter traveled with her, but when her daughter started school, Carr decided it was time to settle down.
"She's amazing," Carr says.
These days Carr lives in the Rose Garden and works in Willow Glen as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker.
She hopes to be a role model for her daughter while empowering other women to seek the help they need to reach their potential.
"I have been very fortunate," she says. "I feel it is my duty to help others who are not as fortunate."
