A Dazzling Milestone

“The good we can do together surpasses the good we can do alone”
Benjamin Franklin

Youth Volunteers at Chess Without Borders accomplished a huge milestone this year. Outstanding senior volunteers Ethan Gagliano and Prashanth Ramachandra are graduating this year along with Meher Hussain. Chess Without Borders has supported the medical treatment and the education of Meher for the last 12 years. Meher is a disfigured girl was introduced by Nina Sethi, a District 220 alum who was teaching in India in 2009. That year teacher Maggie Gruber Black, Brian Gruber (another District 220 alum), Dr Sethi and Dr Kiran Frey traveled to Delhi, India to meet Meher and began a journey of discovery and possibilities for youth volunteers here and the children of Project Why slums. Project Why is a non profit organization based in Delhi, India that serves families and children living in the slums. Visit www.projectwhy.org

This long-standing service project transformed many lives. Meher was an infant when she was burnt in a fire that severely scarred her face and destroyed the use of her hands. Money was raised by youth at Chess Without Borders to help her situation. At first Meher received plastic surgery for her face and hands. When the plastic surgeon, Dr Rakesh Khazanchi heard about the efforts of youth volunteers at Chess Without Borders he was inspired to perform this complicated surgery at no charge. After her surgery the experience of raising funds and seeing a direct impact was so rewarding that a decision was made at a chess tournament that Chess Without Borders would sponsor her education. The project was unique as many youth volunteer participated in collaboration with the community and Community Unit Schools in District 220. Meher turned out to be an outstanding student. This project evolved into other projects. Student volunteers made documentaries about this effort but soon afterwards 11 year old Ethan, Eleanore, Milan and Toby Schwartz recognized that these children with Meher in the slums had no computers. Subsequently another project was invented because of their enthusiasm and Chess Without Borders was able to establish a computer center in the slums at Project Why.
View video of the computer center here at:

Intuitively youth volunteers through service demonstrated alertness and creativity in their interaction with their world. Today about 300 students from the slums receive computer education because of this effort. Ethan Gagliano raised funds through donating his winnings at chess tournaments to sponsor a computer by himself. 7 additional computers were donated towards forming a computer center named after teacher, Maggie Gruber. Teenagers Austen Murrow (along with her grandmother), Siddharth Gehlaut and Sujit Johnston were so deeply involved that they traveled to India to teach at this computer center as interns. Clearly sustained service learning has developed creativity and encouraged youth to perform beyond their potential as is evident with these teenagers.

There is further evidence of the impact of this service learning project observed over the last 12 years. Youth understand goals and expectations demonstrating ambition, pride and innovation to achieve them. Chess tournaments become a time for youth to interact and collaborate with adult mentors and hatch more plans and generate ideas. Mentors play a big role in supporting youth. Children are keen observers of adult behavior. Mentor Zein Bertacchi who introduced middle eastern food to children at tournaments is lovingly called, “Falafel lady”. Youth relish their role as leaders and initiators of fundraising movements. When there were floods in Southern IL Jack Barnett asked if we could raise funds as his grandmother lived there. Children through service understand that they can make a difference for others. They are constantly alert to opportunities for helping. For example when Pranav and Prashanth Ramachandra traveled to their grandmothers home in South India they noticed a neighborhood school for orphans from the Sri Lankan civil war had a leaking roof. They returned to raise $700 at a chess tournament to give this school a new roof.

Service learning has raised social, cultural and intellectual capital for the community in addition to building unique skills in children exposed to this non traditional form of education. Students are acutely aware of teamwork, cooperation, consideration and hard work that can accomplish goals. In order to advance the scope of their projects students learned photography, videography, marketing, public speaking, cleaning up, organization and technology through service. This year marketing director, BHS sophomore Anthony Zhu will lead the fundraising events for Chess Without Borders adding to his education.

These student volunteers won the highest award from the White House in 2015 for this unique work in addition to many other awards over the years. The program has also won many honors and awards. View

Lastly, Community Unit School District 220 has been phenomenal in its support for this grassroots chess program and for hosting chess events in their various schools allowing us to raise over $200,000 for Project Meher as well as for countless other local and global charities.

If you would like to donate or refer youth to join in this program email chesswob@gmail.com