Gratitude for a Mentor through Action

“That's what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.”
― Simone de Beauvoir

Zein Bertacchi has been a silent force in the lives of hundreds of youth who have embraced her example while having a good time raising funds for charities for the last 25 years. Students and volunteers have enjoyed her style of generosity and spirit, as BJ Armstrong (an ex Chicago Bulls player) said at a chess event, " I want to have fun like Zein when doing things for charity". BJ was fascinated by the youth working with Zein to raise funds for charity so he volunteered at a tournament at Barrington High School in 2008.

Zein was a gifted cook whose enthusiasm was infectious. In the early days as chess was becoming popular in 2003 Zein was invited by the teenage volunteers to help serve food to the large crowds of families at chess tournaments. Zein was delighted and a tradition of raising funds for charities was born. She would frequently come to the tournaments armed with her food supplies to cook homemade Hummus and Falafels. Children lovingly called her "the Falafel lady" as they grew fond of eating her food. (Falafel is a middle eastern dish) Youth were enchanted with the idea of taking on leadership roles as they selected local and global charities to support. As of today the program has raised over $331,000 for local and global charities. More information at www.peterwulffcenter.org

Below is a video produced by students expressing their pride in making a difference in the lives of others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQe0Y1FT3Co&t=23s

Following this tradition teenagers Jack Weed, Krish Nara, Prabhgun Kaur and Prabhjet Singh will host an evening honoring their mentor to raise funds for charity. 2008 US Chess Champion Grandmaster Shulman will challenge 50 players in a chess exhibition match simultaneously.