Ambition for Others Drives Creative Endeavors

On March 11th 2017 a team of Presidential Service volunteers raised $1248 for a 9-year-old award winning service project at the Grove Avenue Chess Tournament in Barrington, IL Chess Without Borders has sponsored the surgery and education of a little girl living in the slums of Delhi, India and established a computer center in this slum that brings computer education to 300 children.

The history of this project began in 2009 when Nina Sethi, a graduate of the public schools in Barrington was working as a teacher in this slum. Project Why is the umbrella organization that brings services to families and children in the Sarika Vihar slum in Delhi, India. It was here that Nina met Meher, striking in her intelligence but also a victim of severe burns. She had also lost the use of her hands from burns. Nina asked Chess Without Borders to help sponsor her plastic surgery to correct some of her problems. This challenge began a relationship between Chess Without Borders and Meher, where volunteers converted to medical providers. At first with the help of the community funds were raised that made plastic surgery of her face and hands possible. Later funds raised have provided education for Meher. With each year more students and community members visit the center in India. Two years later the team decided to start a computer center in this slum to introduce computer literacy to youth who would never have an opportunity to learn otherwise.
For the last 8 years chess tournaments run in various District 220 schools have raised $5000 each year to support the education of Meher and pay for a teacher at the Maggie Gruber Computer Center.

In addition to this long term humanitarian project the team at Chess Without Borders has raised funds for a wide variety of programs. The youth participating in raising funds for others has transformed themselves into creative engines for bringing change, learned about different cultures and motivated friends to help out. At this tournament they sold food and other items, directed the chess tournament, asked friends to sponsor games and entertained a crowd of over 150 people attending the chess tournament.

The combination of chess education with service and philanthropy has created economic, social, cultural, educational value within the community. The chess program established in 1999 has "succeeded beyond my wildest expectation", said the 28 year-old founder Rishi Sethi.

These volunteers have won the National Points of Light Award for volunteering. They are: Ethan Gagliano, Pranav and Prashant Ramachandra, Prathik Kandimalla, Jack and Jane Bradley, Vishal and Rohan Ahuja, Eleanore van Marwijk Kooy, Aryan and Ayushi Shah, Toby Schwartz, Siddharth and Abhijeet Gehlaut, Nabeel Rasheed, Sanjaya and Sahitya Maheswaram, Sophia Cai, Julie Ann Ashley, Arnav and Adu Batta, Pranay Prabhakar and Dunya Diyadawagamage.