$75,000 grant awarded to "Chess in the Park" in Indianapolis, IN

You can find this board at Garfield Park.

Photo by INDYtoday team

Checkmate.

In an effort to curb the spike in violence around the city, local nonprofit Youth 2 Greatness Inc. is stepping up its “Chess in the Park” programming. President Yuri Smith says the game allowed him to develop critical thinking skills when he was young + saved him from going down the wrong path.

The organization recently received $75,000 to expand the project and hire community navigators to go door-to-door to help Hoosiers in need find transportation, housing, and food security. It will also be used to host events outside of Frank Young Park — where the program got its start.

Thanks to the Indianapolis Foundation, Yuri plans to bring events to the 46202 + 46208 zip codes with Saturday event s like “The Kickback” on July 1, “The Cleanup” on July 8, and “The Plug” on July 15. Health, job, and educational resources will be incorporated into “The Plug” for those looking for assistance.

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Anna Bowman

Anna is based in Indianapolis, IN and worked in government communications for five years before joining 6AM City to help launch INDYtoday. When she’s not writing about the Circle City from a local coffee shop, you can find her taking long walks with her dog Babs + reading from her hammock and baking pies from scratch.

$75,000 grant awarded to “Chess in the Park” in Indianapolis, IN

The local nonprofit, “Youth 2 Greatness Inc.” received a $75,000 grant from the Indianapolis Foundation to expand its programming in parks around the city.