Chessville News - Chess and the Shaun Alexander Foundation - The AF4C’s First Move™ Program at Madrona Elementary School in Seattle

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America’s Foundation for Chess
and Madrona Elementary School
Honor Shaun Alexander
for Support of the
First Move™ Program

SEATTLE – Jan.13, 2006: The awards are coming so fast for Shaun Alexander that he’s starting to lose track of them. One day after winning league MVP honors and three weeks after being selected to play in his third Pro Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks running back was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press. Alexander, who rushed for a league-best 1,880 yards and scored an NFL-record 28 touchdowns, earned 34 of the 50 votes from the panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who vote on the AP’s postseason awards.

It’s easy to see why kids would look up to this sporting superstar. Now, in conjunction with America’s Foundation for Chess (www.af4c.org), Alexander is extolling the virtues of chess to kids. Just before Christmas, Alexander, who is a keen chess player, announced his support for the AF4C’s First Move™ Program at Madrona Elementary School in Seattle with a generous $7,500 grant from The Shaun Alexander Foundation (www.shaunalexander.org).

Shaun has taken the school to his heart after his visit there. Now, through one of his commercial sponsors, Sprint, together they’re offering a once-in-a-lifetime prize at the school during a chess tournament organized by the AF4C: An all-expenses-paid trip for four to Hawaii, to see Shaun play in the 2006 Pro Bowl on Feb.12!

“This gift from Sprint will result in a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a student whose family would not normally have the means to take this trip,” said Shaun Alexander. “Moreover, it will reward a young person who has decided that education is his number one priority. When companies like Sprint commit to helping us make a difference for the young people in our community, we create a stronger and more effective winning team.”

“Shaun is a true role model for so many children … not just in Seattle, but across the country,” said Kirk Dawson, Sprint’s consumer area vice president for the Northwest. “It is an honor for Sprint to work with him to support the mission of his foundation. We believe his commitment to the young men he mentors will result in much brighter futures for them and a stronger community for those around them.”

Students learn new moves for success through innovative curriculum.

Chess is a learning tool that is used to increase higher-level thinking and problem solving skills, raise math and reading skills and build self-esteem in our students. Through America’s Foundation for Chess (AF4C) First Move™ Program, students at Madrona Elementary School in Seattle are developing these skills. Participation in this innovative teacher development and mentoring program was made possible through a generous grant from the Shaun Alexander Foundation.

“When I first learned of this program, I knew this was a unique approach to teaching children important skills that will help them make the right moves in school and in life. I also knew that I wanted to support AF4C in providing this innovative educational tool to the teachers and students in some of our most challenging classrooms,” said Alexander. Through the Shaun Alexander Foundation, a grant was provided to America’s Foundation for Chess to launch the First Move™ chess curriculum at Madrona Elementary.

“We are very excited about this partnership with Shaun,” said Michael Flor, Executive Director of AF4C’s Western Washington Chapter. “Not only is he a leader on the field, he is showing great leadership off the field in investing in the education of the youth in our communities.” “Being in Madrona Elementary is also,” continued Flor, “very meaningful to us as Yasser Seirawan, an international grand master and a founding member of AF4C’s local board, was a former student at Madrona." AF4C was founded in 2000 as a non-profit organization. It developed its scholastic program, First Move™ to use chess as a learning tool in classrooms. The First Move™ curriculum meets Washington State 2^nd and 3^rd grade level expectations.

Currently, First Move™ is in schools in Washington, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, South Carolina and British Columbia. The goal is to see 2^nd and 3^rd graders across the country using chess as a learning tool in their classrooms. Schools pay for a portion of the program and AF4C works with individuals, local businesses, organizations and local governments to raise funds to cover the remaining program costs. This creates a unique relationship between the schools and the community bringing them closer together.

The Shaun Alexander Foundation provided $7,500 to fund the First Move™ chess curriculum at Madrona Elementary School in Seattle. At an all-school assembly, Michael Flor presented a plaque to Shaun in recognition of his generous support. Flor also presented a “Shaun Alexander Champion’s Chessboard” to Kaaren Andrews, school principal, to be used for the Madrona Chess Championships.

”Madrona Elementary School is excited about having the First Move™ Program and about the support of the Shaun Alexander Foundation which enabled this program to come to our school,” said Principal Andrews. “When talking to our First Move students about the chess program, their immediate reactions were: ‘It’s cool!!! Learning math while playing chess is fun!!!”

“Maybe we will discover another international grand master like Yasser Seirawan in our midst,” said Andrews. “We have a chance to help children improve their thinking skills and have fun playing chess, all at the same time. The sneaky part is that they will improve in math and vocabulary skills without their even noticing. Hurrah for America's Foundation for Chess.”

About The Shaun Alexander Foundation

The Shaun Alexander Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower young men through education, athletics, character programs, and leadership training; inspiring them to reach their full potential as the mentors and role models for the next generation. For more information, visit www.shaunalexander.org.

About America’s Foundation for Chess

Founded on the hope of making chess a subject taught in every school in the United States, AF4C, a nonprofit organization, is committed to making chess a larger part of America's cultural fabric — accessible in schools and in popular culture. AF4C hopes to elevate the profile of chess in America so that it will soon become a regular part of every child's classroom experience. For more information, visit www.af4c.org.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business and government customers. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks offering industry leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

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