Friday, December 28, 2012

HHCF a non-profit with full 501(c)3 status! Transparency is key for any non-profit!







Transparency is important for any non-profit. This 
allows for contributors to non-profits understand 
where their donations are placed. Everyone has a 
right to see the IRS non-profit filings, but we go even 
a step further. Any donors who wish to know exactly 
where their donations are applied can receive a 
detailed funds accountability form which shows an 
annual accountant form reflecting donations and how 
they are applied. 


We know that there are so many people who are 
concerned about the actions of non-profits and the 
Hip-Hop Chess Federation and their Board want to 
assure you that your funds are applied exactly as they 
are intended for. If you ever have a question as to 
where you donations went, we will never hesitate to 
provide you with that information. The Hip-Hop 
Chess Federation is proud to be one of the only 
organizations in California to use less than 3% of its 
donations to administrative cost. The Founder and 
CEO, VP, CFO collectively have received less than 
$3,000 in total salaries (far below their guaranteed 
salaries) over the last 5 years. We are proud of the 
dedication of our founder and the whole HHCF team 
is to providing a environment where our donors can 
be confident their donations are helping those 
intended.


If you have donated to the Hip-Hop Chess Federation 
and have a question regarding where your funds have 
been applied, please contact 
memg@hiphopchessfederation.org. Be sure to include 
a copy of your receipt which shows the amount and 
year of donation so we can supply you with the proper 
information.


*If you donated to another organization on behalf of 
the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, please be advised that 
the HHCF has never received any funds from any 
other organizations, you will need to contact the 
organization who collected the funds .  You will 
not be able to use HHCF as a tax deductible if your 
funds were not directly transferred to the HHCF.

Donations are deductible in the State of California as 
of 10/2007

Donations are deductible on Federal Taxes as of 
10/2010

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Thank you! There is still time to help us

Thank you very much for those who have donated to the HHCF during this challenging time. The HHCF Founder is currently using public transportation to keep the program doors open. This typically means a 4:30am start to get the doors open by 7:50am. Many area's in California do not have the best public transportation available. But the goal of the HHCF is to serve the families and youth we have committed to.
A Few of Our Youth Girls Winter Camp Dec. 27


With us being able to keep the doors open, we are able to serve at least 60% of the youth for this weeks camp. Sadly without raising all the funds as of yet, we are not able to pick up and drop off the youth who's parent(s) are unable to transport their kids to the camp facility, nor are we able to replace all the supplies destroyed in the accident.

Our community has been supportive by helping some kids with rides where they can.

Many have asked about the insurance company of the party that crashed into the HHCF vehicle. They have been very slow to move forward, as of today their official statement is "They need to assess all the damages and their investigation can take 30-60 days more". We are working hard to get the right parties involved to make sure the insurance companies fulfill their obligation but the organization can not continue to run while we "wait and see" what they do.

This is why your donations are so very important. They will allow us to continue to serve the youth and provide a safe, healthy and positive environment for all.

We have reached 30% of our goal and hope with your help to reach the full amount as soon as possible. As of today, we are scheduled to cancel our Winter Youth Sessions scheduled for Dec. 31-Jan. 4th. Each week we fail to meet our goal, we will continue to have to cancel After-School Chess, Anti-Violence, After-School and Weekend Life-Strategy and Performing Arts Programs.

Please be sure to share our donation page http://www.gofundme.com/hhcfhelp with friends, family, business & industry leaders and anyone else you believe is interested in helping a program that keeps youth safe, happy and headed on a positive life path while exploring their creative minds and keeping fit.

Remember the HHCF is a 501(c)3 organization recognized by the State of California and the Internal Revenue Service. Your donations (either cash or in-kind items: computer, vehicle,etc) are tax deductible. The year is ending and this is a perfect time to get an extra TAX DEDUCTION on your taxes while helping a great group of kids.

Truly yours,

Adisa & the Hip-Hop Chess Federation Family

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Hip-Hop Chess Federation Emergency Fundraiser


Accident leaves HHCF in need this Holiday Season. TheHip-Hop Chess Federation is the worlds first non-profit to fuse music, chess and martial arts, to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. We've teach chess, anti-bullying techniques and the importance of keeping mind body balance to kids all over SF Bay Area. In addition to these programs, we offer a performing arts division which has a CheerleadingDance and Acting program. Our performing arts programs cheerleaders and dancers are proud holders of 4 National/International Titles and 1 Division Championship. Our organization has been seen on the over of Chess Life and featured in NY Times, Forbes.com, Good Morning America and SJ Mercury News.

Sadly, last week the only vehicle the organization has was struck from behind while sitting in stopped traffic on the freeway. In the backseat sat the three children of the founder (ages 3, 11, 14). The back portion of the car was crushed and considered to be a totaled vehicle. Miraculously none of the children suffered any serious injuries.     

The Director of the Performing Arts and Head Coach of cheerleading suffered severe back injuries as well as nerve damage to her shoulder. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital and is recovering at home with her family. 

We are working hard with the insurance companies in hopes of a fast recovery. However, the at fault party's insurance company is less than proactive in helping the HHCF get back on its feet, so we are turning to you, our supporters and the community. 

The HHCF is responsible for Winter Camps, where we help kids of all social and economic backgrounds (many of our kids are on scholarship paid personally out of the pocket of the founder of the HHCF). The vehicle that was totaled was used to transport supplies, pick up students who could not afford to travel to the camps, pick up lunches and other needs of our camp families. It is also key in providing transportation for our camp supervisors and instructors. Without this transportation, we will be forced to cancel all the camps for the reminder of Dec and January. This will leave countless children with no supervised care and education, plus parents with no one to keep their children active and safe during their school breaks. 

How can you help?
- The HHCF needs a vehicle that can seat no less than 6 people at a time. We believe we can purchase a low price, used vehicle for roughly $9,000 if we chose a low end, high mileage used car. We are no looking for luxury. Just safety that can get our teachers, students and sometimes parents to and from the training facility. A vehicle that will have room to transport all the supplies we need for teaching as well.
- 3 HHCF Computers were destroyed in the accident. All computers were used as part of our Chess Lessons, Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship Youth Programs. These laptops and the programs on them value is between $528-$988 each. Our dream is to get all three replaced but would be elated is we could replace at least 1 of the computers before our camps resume on December 26 (camps can ONLY resume, if we are able to secure a vehicle). 
- Chess pieces. Large bags of chess pieces were broken up in the crash. These pieces were enough to cover at least 5 chess boards. 
- Teacher replacement: Due to the accident our lead Camp Director and Performing Arts Choreographer has been injured to the degree of being unable to teach all of her assigned programs. The HHCF must recruit/hire a replacement/assistant Teacher to take over some of the roles our Director can no longer fill. If we are lucky we will be able to find a volunteer to fill this role, but if we must hire someone during her recovery we will need at least $3,200 (this will cover the expense of the teacher/coach over the 6-12 weeks we have been told our Director needs to recover). 

We are a IRS recognized 501(c)3, any donation you make is tax deductible. If you own a Car Dealership or Manufacturer and you donate the car to the HHCF, you can write this off on your 2012 taxes. Anything you give will allow the HHCF to fulfill its obligations to the community we serve. 

Please understand our goal is to secure these items before we are forced to cancel another day of our winter programs which resume on December 26th. Every day we do not have these items is another day we must call and tell all our families we serve that they will have to seek other resources for their children during the break. 

Please share this will all our friends, family, local business, politicians, anyone whom you believe can help the HHCF fulfill its duties. We have never failed our families before and we will do what ever it takes to continue to help our children have a safe and happy place to go while their parents are hard at work.
We appreciate your kindness in these hard times. 

Monday, November 26, 2012

EXCLUSIVE: HHCF Founder Launches Podcast Show

                          Adisa & Mike Relm enjoy a quiet  game at the St. Louis Chess Club

We are proud to announce a new podcast show launched produced by Mike Relm called The Bishop Chronicles. Its about technology, music, chess and life. Please listen to it now and share it :

The Bishop Chronicles

We want to thank our sponsors www.thechesspiece.com , www.ctrlindustries, www.worldchessHOF.org and of course, YOU.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

HHCF Hosting EXCLUSIVE Bay Area Screenings for Brooklyn Castle



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Meek Gaborski
memg@hiphopchessfederation.org

Hip-Hop Chess Federation Teams with The Jacka and Big Rich for Exclusive Bay Area Screenings of Brooklyn Castle Documentary
 
Oct. 11th 2012, San Francisco, CA- The Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) is proud to announce it will be hosting special FREE screenings of the award winning documentary  Brooklyn Castle. Brooklyn Castle tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories.

HHCF will be hosting Brooklyn Castle screenings in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. After each screening a panel discussion hosted by Adisa Banjoko will take place about the evolution of chess, technology, art and education in America.Special guests at the San Francisco screening will be rappers The Jacka and Big Rich.

Hip-Hop Chess Federation founder Adisa Banjoko stated “America is witnessing the beginnings of  a cultural resurrection in chess. It is coming from the poor areas, where Hip-Hop thrives. Brooklyn Castle illustrates beautifully how this ancient game can move our emotions as well as our intellect. The HHCF is honored to be screening Brooklyn Castle and grateful to The Jacka and the other artists, martial artists and educators participating with us at these screenings.”

* Oct. 19th 8 PM Heroes Martial Arts 455 South First St. San Jose, CA . Panelists: Alan “Gumby Marques (Owner Heroes Martial Arts) Bboy A-Game (Style Elements/Hybrid Crew), Demone Carter (Future Arts Now) Kenny May (San Jose Universal Zulu Nation).

*Oct. 22nd  4 PM at Youth Uprising 8711 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA. Special Guests include DLabrie and Shamako Noble (Hip-Hop Congress) other special guests TBA.

* Oct. 24th 3:30 PM John O’Connell High School in San Francisco (private screening by invite only). Panel discussion featuring rapper The Jacka, Big Rich (rapper/founder of Project Level), Graffiti muralist Carlos Rodriguez and Educator Arash Daneshzadeh.

See Brooklyn Castle trailer here: http://youtu.be/KgOAp7qSUeM
Follow on Twitter @Brooklyn_Castle

See HHCF Checkmates trailer here: https://vimeo.com/50997642
Follow on Twitter @hiphopchess

Hip-Hop Chess Featured in Anti-Bullying Feat. in Oakland Local

Ya gotta love this...

HHCF FEATURED IN OAKLAND LOCAL!

HHCF Documentary Trailer: Checkmates


CheckmatesDoc from J.P. Garzone on Vimeo.

We expect this to be out in 2013. It has begun...We will not be stopped...All fates have changed.

Uproxx Covers HHCF Founder plus, FREE PDF download of Bobby Bruce and the Bronx Available

The book Bobby Bruce & the Bronx by Adisa the Bishop is now available from this day forward FREE in PDF form. Please enjoy it and share ...