Palo Alto, CA, November 8, 2005 – eBay Foundation recently awarded a CHAMPION A CHARITY grant of $2,500 to Lytton Gardens Senior Community in Palo Alto, CA. The grant was made possible as a result of Robert Yan, an eBay employee, who “championed” funding for the organization. Funds will support the Caring Connections Volunteer Program. Lytton’s Caring Connections Volunteer Program is an intergenerational volunteer program that connects hundreds of volunteers with Lytton Gardens residents each year to counter the isolation, loneliness and depression that can overwhelm seniors as they age.  Volunteers bring an infusion of energy and new ideas that engage the residents and keep them connected with the community.

EBay Foundation’s CHAMPION A CHARITY program encourages employees to become involved with and advocate funding for nonprofit organizations that work to improve the quality of life for all. A competitive program through which grand decisions are made by employee committee, eBay Foundation CHAMPION A CHARITY grants are only made to organizations recommended for funding by eBay employees.

“I had been volunteering for a resident of Lytton Gardens for 10 months,” says Robert Yan, an eBay Software QA Engineer, “Virginia Lee was a 95 year old woman who lived in the independent living program at Lytton Gardens. She was an amazing woman who told me stories of the experiences she had in her life. We'd chat about the recent news, things that bother us and things we look forward to. It’s amazing to see how an hour or two of your time can really have an effect on someone’s life.”