While volunteering as a student at a memory care facility, Anuhya Tadepalli thought seniors deserved something better to occupy their time than bingo and Yahtzee.
“They looked really bored,” said the 17-year-old Milton High School senior. “I wanted to offer them something more fun.”
What could be more fun, Anuhya decided, than the board game she’d been playing since she was six years old? That was the beginning of Chess for a Cause.
Anuhya and her cousin Poojita Chinmay, 16, a junior at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Lawrenceville, started taking chess boards into senior centers. “We were overwhelmed by the response and interest,” Anuhya said.
“I’ve learned chess actually helps your memory stay stronger … and allows the exercise of both the left and right hemispheres” of the brain, she said. “We also realized that in addition to the mental stimulation, chess was helping (seniors) regain self-confidence and hope.”
Chess for a Cause, organized in 2016 as a 4-H club under the Fulton County UGA Extension, today has 25 student volunteers ages 9 through 19 working with about 100 older adults at 15 senior facilities across North Fulton and Gwinnett counties and in the city of Atlanta.
They’ve raised funds for the Alzheimer’s Association Longest Day event and the Annandale Village Extra Mile 5K in Suwanee. They got a write-up in Georgia Chess News and an award from the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services. The Disney Be Inspired program gave the group a $500 grant to buy chess sets.
Chess for a Cause is partnering with ChessKids Nation, an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation, to use ChessKids online software to track game play and offer puzzles and exercises to keep seniors engaged between every-other-week visits.
A first visit to a senior center typically has two to five members leading a one-hour introductory class. They introduce themselves, explain the board pieces, show a short video, and break into small groups for game play.
“I’ll tell them, try moving something, I’ll let you know if it’s OK,” Anuhya said. “Or instead of presenting all the tactics and rules, we may play a game one piece at a time – just try to capture this piece.”
“A lot of seniors don’t want to play at first because they think chess is too hard for them. We want to get over that hurdle. They see kids playing, and it’s more fun to play with kids. The difference in ages really helps.”
The city of Milton recently recognized Anuhya for her efforts.
“Anuhya’s initiative and her dedication are an inspiration to all of us,” Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood said. “Her work with seniors not only has medical and physical benefits, but the social and psychological benefits of those interactions with seniors are undeniable.”
Anuhya said, “People don’t understand the loneliness of seniors. … I’m helping people who have problems, helping prevent mental decline of healthy elderly adults.”
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