Chess For A Cause Helps Milton Seniors Fight Dementia

MILTON, GA -- While many teens are focused on writing language arts essays, Milton resident Anuhya Tadepalli and her childhood friend Poojita Chinmay put their skills to work by crafting a strategic plan for a new nonprofit Chess for a Cause. This group would ultimately serve as many as 100 seniors across the metro-Atlanta area and the number served continues to grow.

Inspired while volunteering one summer at a local memory care facility, these young students, Anuhya, a senior at Milton High School and Poojita, a junior at Gwinnett County's School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, set out to create Chess for a Cause. Both students immersed themselves in researching age-related dementia and learning how chess might be used to reverse the effects of dementia in adults.

"Chess allows the exercise of both the left and right hemispheres," Anuhya said. "We learned that it helps with the growth of dendrites, which are extensions of brain neurons, and these neurons help improve overall performance of the brain."

Since launching the nonprofit in 2016, Chess for a Cause has been featured in Georgia Chess News, received an award from the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services as part a statewide completion to recognize innovative ways to support and engage adults who are older or have disabilities, and most recently, Anuhya was personally recognized by Milton leaders with a proclamation honoring her work with local senior citizens.

"Anuhya's initiative and her dedication are an inspiration to all of us," said Milton's Mayor Joe Lockwood. "Her work with seniors not only has medical and physical benefits, but the social and psychological benefits of those interactions with seniors are undeniable."

Chess for a Cause currently serves 14 senior facilities across several cities including Milton, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, Sandy Springs and Suwanee. Volunteers visit senior care, memory care, and assisted living facilities, introducing residents to the game of chess.

"No matter your age, learning is always a positive, especially something as challenging as chess", said Ron Harlow, executive director of Senior Services North Fulton. "Our seniors enjoyed spending time with their teenage mentors, and when they sat down to play chess together the generation gap seemed to fade away. This program is a great way to bridge relationships between local teens and our seniors."

To learn more about how to volunteer or how your senior facility can receive services, visit Chess for a Cause's website. As the need for services continues to grow, the nonprofit is currently collecting lightly used or new chess sets, as well as $10 dollar cash donations toward the purchase of additional chess sets.

Visit their website to learn more about how you can donate or contact Chess for a Cause by email at chessforacause@gmail.com.

Image via city of Milton