”Chess Institute of Canada is a non-profit organization with the singular goal to use the game of chess to teach kids essential life skills and improve the world.”
Created and founded in Toronto in 2005 by Ted Winick and David Cohen, this enterprise has an impressive list of teachers and volunteers attached to it. Their main activity is connecting chess and kids in the Toronto area.
Below is a really smooth video (that you can find on the home page of this enterprise) that is high-beat and perky. It gives a nice 90-second snapshot of what the Institute strives to do:
David Cohen needs little introduction as he is well known in Canadian chess. A chess promotor and Canadian chess historian, he is also chief organizer of this year’s Canadian Open (in Toronto). David has an MBA from Yale.
Ted Winick is probably less well known to my Canadian readers. Very active in community service in the Toronto area for decades now, Ted has won recognition for his efforts: in 1992 – Man of the Year, Bloor Branch of Toronto JCC and in 2008 – Volunteer of Year, Child Development Institute (Tor, Can)
Ted is also co-owner of the central Toronto Campus of the Spirit of Math Schools, an after-school program for elementary school-age students who are highly motivated and high performing.
The grand opening of the Spirit of Math Schools downtown Toronto branch. Left to right: Mary Poulson, Business Advisor, CEO and Co-founder, Kim Langen, Co-owner, Heidi Winick, Teacher, Jordan Winick and Co-owner Ted Winick.
Long-time Annex residents, Ted and Heidi Winick, celebrated the grand opening of their Spirit of Math Central Toronto Campus with the VIP’s who made it possible – the children and parents! Over 40 attendees celebrated on Thanksgiving Monday with a ribbon cutting ceremony, refreshments and special guest speaker Kim Langen, author, educator and co-founder of Spirit of Math Schools. Langen is a dedicated educator who has been instrumental in changing the way thousands of students, parents, teachers and business people look at math and methods for working with high-performing students. The new campus, located at the Howlett Academy, 15 Madison Avenue in the Annex, is the eighteenth in Spirit of Math’s system of schools that focus on providing advanced math education especially for high achieving students. For more information please visit www.spiritofmath.com