eBay has a special place in its heart – and its auctions – for one Israeli charity

When eBay ran a contest to determine the most popular charities on its vast auction and sales site, the results were stunning. One Israeli charity -- the Save a Child’s Heart Foundation (SACH),  which provides free heart surgery to kids from developing countries -- was voted as one of the top five out of more than 50,000 charities, beating out perennial favorites like the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

Sensitive to consumer sentiments and preferences, eBay chose to feature SACH during its first Valentine’s Day promotion this year on Facebook and is now featuring SACH as the first Israeli charity to participate in one of its celebrity auctions. Duff Goldman, the “Ace of Cakes” star of the Food Network, is auctioning a day with him and his staff at their Charm City Bakery in Los Angeles. All proceeds of the auction will benefit SACH.

Side by side with the celebrity auction, more than 1000 other auctions benefiting SACH are being held on eBay.

During the last two years, tens of thousands of eBay members have donated money to SACH and have shown their support by buying products from vendors who share a portion of their proceeds to Israel’s international humanitarian organization. SACH, perhaps because of the universality of its mission and outreach to kids in need, has been featured by Parade Magazine, Fox News, and Readers Digest. Within the last year SACH has received endorsements from the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank.

Affiliated with the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel, SACH doctors completely volunteer their time to improve the quality of cardiac care for children from developing countries, regardless of nationality, race, or religion. Since its inception in 1996, the SACH medical team has treated more than 5500 children from more than 42 different countries, and has trained more than 50 physicians and nurses from China, Ethiopia, Moldova, Nigeria, Palestinian Authority, Eritrea, Kenya, Vietnam and Zanzibar.