Making a difference in South Africa

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHESS GURU VISITS SA SCHOOLS

AUGUST 2007

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Following successful tours in March this year and in 2006, David MacEnulty, American school teacher on whom the Hollywood movie Knights of the South Bronx is based, will be returning to South Africa on 26 July to speak to our youths and school teachers about Chess For Change.

During these tours, 12 000 children were exposed to the film and to David MacEnulty.

Headed up by successful hedge fund manager, David Berman, this upliftment initiative aims to establish a chess culture in South African schools, with the emphasis on underprivileged communities, by teaching chess and providing the necessary equipment, materials, and logistical support.

In August MacEnulty will tour the country, visit schools to speak to children about Chess and also conduct teacher training workshops.

David Mac Enulty’s schedule is as follows:

3 – 8 August Soweto and Gauteng school visits
9 August Chess for Change RGA Challenge & Train the Teacher conference
10 August KwaZulu school visits
11 August KwaZulu Train the Teacher conference
12 August Chess Tournament Marine World
13 – 16 August Bloemfontein school visits
17 August Boland school visits
20 – 28 August Western Cape school visits
24, 26 August Western Cape Train the Teacher conferences

RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa, primary corporate sponsor of Chess for Change, will be contributing financial and human resources, providing chess boards and equipment for participating scholars, as well as sponsoring a bursary to assist Chess for Change to send a chess star to the National Chess Championships.

David Berman says: “Through chess the initiative will help children become smarter, more confident, technically proficient, and socially responsible and adept citizens of South Africa. Chess is also an easily accessible activity, requiring very little capital investment. Chess for Change also provides a forum for children to interact with other children from more privileged schools, with the goal of fostering greater understanding and respect among the various socio-economic groups within South Africa.”
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For more information contact Lente Maré at Chess for Change on
021 705 7863 or chessforchange@netpoint.co.za

ENDS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Galia Kerbel, Greater Than

FOR COMMENT CONTACT:
David Berman
Email: ChessForChange@aol.com

EDITORS NOTES:
Extensive research and evidence shows that chess makes children smarter, enables them to do better at subjects and teaches life skills such as responsibility, empathy and focus. It is for this reason that chess is in the curriculum of TOP SCHOOLS in the US and other countries.
· Chess has been PROVEN to enhance creativity, problem solving, memory, concentration, intellectual maturity, self esteem, and many other abilities that a parent or teacher would desire. In short, “chess makes you smarter”! The ideal age to teach children is five but a three year-old can pick it up with a bit of patience!
Knights of the South Bronx is a film that stars Ted Danson as teacher David MacEnulty. It is based on MacEnulty’s true life story when he was a chess teacher at a mainly all-black inner-city school in the Bronx. In the film, we see how the teacher improves the lives of the black children through chess and how the players and teams go on to win national trophies. Their lives improve in every way.
Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA) is one of the world’s leading life reinsurance companies. With offices in 18 countries, RGA provides clients with life reinsurance, risk management, facultative underwriting, product development, and capital-motivated reinsurance services.
Today, RGA South Africa supports all line of life reinsurance business with both traditional and non-traditional solutions, with treaties in place with all the major direct life insurance companies in South Africa. RGA South Africa is the only dedicated life reinsurer in the South African market.
RGA has offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, which provides the company with a national footprint ensuring localised support to clients based in and around these cities. Additional support is sourced through RGA’s International division headquarters in Toronto.