One Move at a Time: The Gift of Chess Prison Program

Welcome to One Move at a Time, the show where we highlight people and organizations that are advancing our US Chess mission statement to Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess. I’m Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication at US Chess, and my guests today are Director of Prison Outreach Tony Ballard, Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda, and Captain Kevin Oneth.

Captain Kevin Oneth (left) and Tony Ballard

Secretary Jeff Zmuda

The Gift of Chess is a 501(C)(3) charitable organization transforming lives through our universal language of chess. They distribute chess sets globally, leveraging chess as a low-cost, high-impact catalyst for opportunity. Their key initiatives include education, prison, and refugee outreach. Under the leadership of Tony Ballard, The Gift of Chess looks to expand access to chess sets, chess programs and chess educational materials for those incarcerated across the USA and beyond. Currently, The Gift of Chess reaches over 250 jails and prisons across the United States.

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