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Silver Squire Chess Player
Please read the information below carefully. If you agree to the conditions of service then fill out the application below.
A Silver Squire is one of the most important volunteer positions in the Silver Knights Alzheimer’s Charity. A Silver Squire must foremost be someone who has a love for adults and senior citizens. All other considerations are secondary. A Silver Squire may be a man or woman who is at least 18 years old and is willing
to take the online training to become a Silver Squire which is a 4-step
process that takes a few of weeks depending on how quickly you act. You must understand that when you join this charity you are not just a chess player. You are a LIFESAVER. You must be very patient and kind. You must be able to feel comfortable with losing a game of chess and not getting upset about it or winning a game an not gloating about it. Every Silver Squire will receive training by email. A Silver Squire must be willing to donate a minimum of 2 hours per week for one year and be willing to drive within a 5 mile radius of your home. We hope that after your first year you will want to reenlist as a Silver Squire. If you are volunteering just to show off your chess skills then you are at the wrong charity. Please read no further.
A Silver Squire must know the rules of chess and/or be willing to learn them. To be sure you know all the rules in the Silver Squire Training Course you will be given 4 lessons and be asked to take a quiz. A Silver Squire need only be a fair or good chess player. (nonrated or a uscf rating of 1000-1700) You will be asked to register on this website and email us your photo to use on the website and for promotional purposes. You will be asked to post a thread in the Guild of Silver Squires section of our Open Forum and at least once every 2 months update the charity on your progress. Since you will be acting as a representative of the charity whenever you go to a facility we require that you invest about 25 dollars in a customized golf shirt with your name on it (your "uniform") that is available in our CafePress Store. Since you are a member of the charity we ask you to contact your friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers and let them know that you have found this wonderful charity and that you have volunteered to help save lives and encourage them to consider supporting the charity also. Since you are going to be playing chess, we require that you purchase a chess set anywhere you want. We will recommend some online locations where you can purchase an inexpensive but durable chess set.
You do not teach chess as the Silver Knights do though if your care-ponent (the opponent you are caring for by playing them) wants to learn and you like to teach you certainly can and we will provide you with the lessons if you wish. You will be asked to generate a list of facilities near you using Mapquest.com which can generate 50 locations in about 5 minutes and even tell you how far away they are and give you a map to the location. We will ask you to contact the directors of the facilities and let them know that you will come and play chess with those who want to play. You will set the playing times times that fit within your schedule and meet with the care-ponent at least once per week to play with them for at least an hour if the care-ponent is up to it. You will play chess with people in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, senior centers and anywhere else you can find adults (18 and older) to play with near your home. Our target group is age 40+. You do not play in regular chess clubs but with people who for health or other reasons have a difficult time going to regular chess clubs.
Many of the people you will play will not be very good chess players themselves, so that is why it would probably be best if you were not a Expert level chess player or above. We will teach you how to "give odds" so that if you are much better or worse than the care-ponent you are playing you can continue to have fun playing together. If you have a USCF rating it probably should not be higher than 1700. Those without a rating are more than welcome to apply, as you are the person for whom we are looking.
Having previous experience working with the elderly is ideal but not mandatory. If you get impatient or frustrated easily, this is probably not the volunteer position for you. Kindness and the ability to listen are very important. You may find that the friendships you make is more enjoyable than the chess you play. If you are interested in helping the Silver Squire, please fill out the application below. There is no pay for anyone in the organization other than the joy of knowing that you have saved the lives of our precious adults and senior citizens and added joy to their lives.
The Goals of a Silver Squire
The goals of a Silver Squire donates at least 2 hours per week to serving the community by protecting adults and the elderly from Alzheimer’s disease by playing chess with them. The goal of a Silver Squire is to develop friendships with those you play with so that they will want to continue to play chess with you for a long time to come. A Silver Squire should set the goal of playing with as many adults as he or she can fit into their schedule. If playing with one adult is all your time permits that is super! However if you wish to have a greater impact and save more lives from Alzheimer's it would be a good goal to consider playing with 5-10 adults or even more! The Silver Knights Headquarters will email you detailed instructions on how to specifically play chess with seniors.
In order to present to the public and our students a uniformed program, the documents used in the program may not be changed without written confirmation from The Silver Knights National Headquarters in Scottsdale Arizona. That being said, we are always open to suggestions from our Silver Squires as to improvements to any aspect of the program.
The Vigil
Every Silver Squire must go through the following vigil. He or she is
bound by a code of chivalry, as were the Knights of old. Please read
carefully and think before answering.
The Silver Squires’ Code of Chivalry
I HEREBY SWEAR TO THE
FOLLOWING OATH:
- Defense - I swear and take this oath to defend the sick and
elderly against the monster called Alzheimer’s. This is my calling
and joy.
- Joy - I swear to bring
happiness to those I serve, for many I serve are going through difficult
times and playing chess is a joy they really look forward to. Often many
I serve just look forward to seeing my smiling face each week. With my smile I will be generous.
- Generosity - I swear to be
generous in so far as your resources allow. I swear to give a little if I
only have a little. I swear to give a lot if I have a lot because being
generous not only helps those who need help but is an aid to my soul too. I will share what I have with humility.
- Humility - I swear to value first
the contributions of others. I will not boast of your own accomplishments,
I will let others do this for me. For to be humble when you have been given so much talent takes courage.
- Courage - I swear to choose a more
difficult path, the personally expensive one of courage. If it is easy to
do it probably is not worth doing. Being courageous when others run away will be shown in the light of truth.
- Truth - I swear to always speak the
truth in love. To lie is to dishonor myself, and the Silver Knights
Alzheimer's Prevention Charity and my other Silver Squires. Standing side by side with my other Silver Squires shows loyalty.
- Loyalty - I swear to unwavering
commitment and loyalty to the Silver Knight Alzheimer's Prevention Charity. As a Silver Knight
my loyalty is to the ideals of the Code of Chivalry and to the charity I
serve. I will not abandon my commitment easily. As a Silver Squire I will faithfully fulfill my duties and the instructions given to me.
When
I am sick and cannot fulfill my duties I will contact the director of
the facility where I teach to let my care-ponents know they should go ahead
and play chess without me if they can. I swear loyalty to my Silver Squire brothers and sisters and I will treat all its members with respect at all times. To do so takes faith.
- Faith - I swear to have faith
in my beliefs, for faith roots me and gives me hope against the despair
that human failings create. Having faith means to strive to always do what is right.
- Righteousness - I swear as a
Silver Squire to seek to emulate everything in the Code of Chivalry as
sincerely as possible, not for the reason of personal gain but because it
is right. When I do what is right, it ennobils me.
- Nobility - I swear to seek great
stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a Silver Squire,
realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving
towards them strengthens the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the
heavens. Nobility always show courtesy to others.
- Courtesy - I swear to treat all,
but especially the sick and elderly with kindness and tenderness. I will
honor them for they richly deserve my respect.
- Honor- I swear to try to behave in an honorable way at all times so as not to disgrace the Silver Knight Charity.
I will do what I say I will do. I recognize that it is a great honor
to become a Silver Squire and I will fulfill my duties to the best of
my ability.
- Love- I swear to try
to be patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or
proud, never haughty, or selfish or rude. I will not demand my own way.
Filling out the form below means that you are making a commitment to
the above conditions. If you have questions don't fill out the form
below but email us at
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Only fill out the form
below if you are serious about committing to donating a minimum of 2
hours per week and following the instructions given to you by our
charity in order to save lives from Alzheimer's. Thank you.
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