The Maple Boys Visit the V.A.

Yesterday SCORES staff went with the Maple Monarchs boys team to Veterans Administration facility on Beacon Hill. The boys walked from their school over to the facility and visited some of the residents there. They began the afternoon with simple conversation and refreshments, but it quickly turned into competitive games of checkers, UNO and other board games.

Many of the poet-athletes thought they were pretty talented checkers players, even bragging about beating friends and relatives. But when the older residents sat down with them, it turned out 50 or more years of experience mattered a little more. The students took their losses in stride, and the checkers champion, I think, let the one student winner win. He knew he shouldn't beat them all. It was a great inter-generational service project.