Mary Anne Cammarota, left, of eBay presents an eBay Foundation “Champion A Charity” grant to Sally Mallam, treasurer of Share Literacy. Looking on are Shane DeHaven (front center) and in the back (from left), Farzad Ehsani, David Sasseen and Aldo Lira of Share Literacy.

eBay Foundation awarded a Champion A Charity grant to the Los Altos-based Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK) in support of its Share Literacy program to provide books to at-risk children. Share Literacy supporter and eBay employee Mary Ann Cammarota championed the grant and presented the check to Sally Mallam, director of Share Literacy, in a ceremony at the organization’s offices in Los Altos on Nov. 16.

“We take it for granted that literacy is fundamental to personal success and well-being and a cornerstone of a society’s freedom and vibrancy,” Cammarota said.

“But tragically, in the U.S. today more and more children are at risk for illiteracy.

Share Literacy partners with local childhood education and literacy programs to provide high-quality books to at-risk children. Books have been provided to more than 100,000 children in the United States and Canada.

One consequence of the recent hurricanes in the Gulf region is the disruption in the lives and education of children already at risk.

According to Laurie Todd of the Early Childhood Institute at Mississippi State University, there are more than 300 child centers involving more than 22,000 children in communities designated disaster areas.

In response, Share Literacy quickly partnered with ECI/MSU and other local organizations to get as many books as possible to affected areas, while continuing to provide books in all regions of the country where children need books.

The books provided by Share Literacy are part of an award-winning series collected and written for children by Afghan writer and scholar Idries Shah and illustrated by students at the San Francisco Art Academy.