Giving back to the Community

Photo By Lewis Hilburn | During Public Service Recognition Week the Defense Finance and Accounting recognizes and applauds Lambert Barnes II, DFAS Audit Support accountant, for his public service efforts that go beyond her federal position. Barnes takes public service to the next level by volunteering his time to start a chess club in association with the Indianapolis Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo.  

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES

05.04.2021

Story by Steven Lawson 

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

INDIANAPOLIS, May 5, 2021 – Long before the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" gave chess an additional boost in popularity, Defense Finance and Accounting Service Indianapolis' Lambert Barnes II started a chess club in association with the Indianapolis Chapter of Indiana Black Expo.

Barnes, who has been with DFAS since 2016 and is an accountant in Audit Support, designed the club for youths in grades K – 12 and met once a month before the pandemic. Chess provided an opportunity to teach participants how to play the game and offer life lessons to them.

"I grew up playing chess as a kid and was involved with a group during college," said Barnes. "The strategy and ability to be adaptive in the game has always interested me. Having that opportunity was what intrigued me about starting the club."

Those who knew how to play chess would team them up to play either other youth or adult groups. The inexperienced players learned how to play the basics from the group leaders or other more experienced players.

"We also feed any attending kids dinner as part of the club," Lambert related.

The club was so successful the group ended up moving it to a larger location to accommodate more participants and allow exposure to different children who may not have attended in the old location.

"I've always enjoyed working with people," Lambert related, "I worked for the parent company Indiana Black Expo right out of college, and once I left there, the Indy Chapter allowed me a way to stay involved with some of the local programs I enjoyed."

The chess club is just one of the many activities Barnes participates in to support the community.

"Another event I work with is an annual two-day high school basketball showcase," Barnes related. "We did not have our event in 2020 due to the pandemic but are hoping to restart it once it is safe to do so.

"The showcase features both boys and girls teams from around Indiana and neighboring states with proceeds from the event providing our organization funding to support other community events."

Some of those other events include a community food box providing free products to families in need and helps sponsor families during the holiday period.

"We sponsored about ten families during Christmas by providing presents to the children," Barnes stated.

In his spare time, Barnes referees football from youth to high school, which "allows me to stay active and be able to positively impact the sports community that has given me so much."

Lambert played basketball, baseball, and football from age 5 through high school.

Informally, Barnes mentors a couple of young people, volunteers during events like the NCAA Tournament, Super Bowl, and helps with local improvement projects with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.

Celebrated annually during the first week of May since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) (external link) is time set aside to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county, and local government employees.

• Date Taken: 05.04.2021
• Date Posted: 05.05.2021 13:37
• Story ID: 395700
• Location: INDIANAPOLIS, IN, US