District 220 chess club members commended for charity work

Twenty-eight Barrington Area Unit School District 220 students earned national recognition this week for their outstanding and creative service work done through the Barrington-based nonprofit organization, Chess Without Borders.

The award, called the Points of Light award, is from the Corporation for National and Community Service at the White House, a federal agency that invests in nonprofit groups across the country and runs programs like AmeriCorps.

Chess Without Borders has raised more than $125,000 for charity, according to a video by the group announcing they'd won the award. The group holds chess tournaments and donates the money to people in need. According to its website, the group started chess programs by donating chess sets and textbooks internationally in Nigeria, Sudan, the Marshall Islands, India, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Chile and in needy schools across America.

A full list of the District 220 students honored can be found on the district's Facebook page.