DALLAS, TX – October 30, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System recognized Chess for Humanity’s continued initiatives for veterans’ mental health and wellness, Chess for Humanity announced Friday. Chess for Humanity has been working with veterans in the VA Medical Center and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) posts since 2013 and recently organized a Chess Fest for Vets Annual Exhibition and Tournament on Oct 15, 2015 at VA Medical Center at Lancaster.

In a letter to Akshay Malhotra, the Founder and CEO of Chess for Humanity, the Chief of the Recreation Therapy Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System, Jerry Hopkins, said, “This event was a great success and was enjoyed by all in attendance. The support that you have given to provide the veterans with enjoyable recreational activities is to be commended. Your assistance contributes significantly toward their well-being”.

“We are honored to have worked with and served hundreds of veterans of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars in healing their mental wounds over the past years as they paid the price for our freedom and begin their journey of rehabilitation,” Malhotra said. “We get our reward when an Iraq veteran says, ‘Chess helped to cope with my depression,’ and when an Afghanistan veteran comments, ‘[Chess] keeps me in the present and makes me calm.’ They need our support and we owe them our best.”

Chess for Humanity’s Veteran’s program is well-received and enjoyed by veterans of all ages at the VA Medical Center and VFW centers. “It is gratifying to know that there are people like you and organizations like Chess for Humanity who are concerned for veterans. Thank you for your kindness to the veterans,” Hopkins said.

About Chess for Humanity
Chess for Humanity (http://chessforhumanity.org/) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a vision to implement sustainable programs that enrich the human experience with full potential, nurture humanity, and build a better world. The organization runs various global social initiatives that empower underserved children with strategic educational and decision-making programs to help them succeed in school and in life,  improve seniors’ brain health with mental exercises and mind stimulating activities to alleviate Alzheimer’s and Dementia, provide veterans with cognitive and recreational therapy to stay strong and focused during tough times of transition, and transform at-risk juvenile youth in detention centers with challenging problem-solving, decision-making, and life-skills education to reduce violence and recidivism.