What are we all about??

A welcome letter from the Executive Producer & Creator

Happpy 5th Anniversary NEIGHBORS!!! We've been on Public Access Cablevision for five years and phillyCAM.org for four years, teaching the basics of Chess through music, movement and song. It all started with a wish to make a video of children singing and dancing to the Chess song. With the expectation that then I'd mail them out to all the community/recreational centers across North America. In turn the centers would use the video to teach and promote a Chess program for their participants.

Five years and we have a wonderful show that has sucessfully promoted Chess in every community we're on the air in, and I wouldn't change that for the world, but deep down inside I'd love to video a choir of young people singing the Chess song - maybe NEIGHBORS sixth season.

As the Executive Producer of NEIGHBORS, from the start I look at Chess as a way of combating pramatic issues that are facing young people today like, Gang Violence and Bullying. This our 5th Season we're using the episodes of the Bishop, Knight and Rook to stoplight Domestic Violence (DV) and present to the victims the tools that are available. Thanks to Sanctuary For Families (SFF) we have an engrossing, "The View" type table panel discussion about DV with lawyers, and teen and adult DV counselors. Their extensive knowledge of DV is shared conversationally through their interactions with one another, they breathe new hope into DV conflicts.

I know a few of our past and former NEIGHBORS cast and crew feel/felt that by now we'd be picked up by some big time television or cable channel, though I've spent years telling them that, that's very unlkiely because of what we do, which is teaching and promoting Chess. If a show teaching Chess was in such great demand the cable and television channels would have had it already. Still over the years the wonderfully deicated and talented cast and crew have come and gone. I want to take a brief moment to thank them for their Season(s).

Our First Season of NEIGHBORS started with our founding members. Me, naturally, Marion, Matthew (Cruise Planners - CruiseTA.com) and Leslie (http://www.realtoraddy.com). We all took the public access Cablevision certification course. Then we added Alex who sings the Chess song. Before the camera could roll Darlene joinned as a camera tech and segment producer. During filming of our first season is added Noriko (http://flowern27.com) for emotional support and her son Joshua to teach the basic rules of Chess and he produced a segment of the show. Ethel was added for emotional support, and her son Tyree wrote and sungs the NEIGHBORS' theme song. Ethel's son Brandon and his friend Charles are in the opening of the show as is Marion's daughter Linda. Public Access Cablevision warn me that when using children in filming personal release forms are priority . I went a step further I ask Rick for his polarold camera and I've been using it since then.

For our Second Season of the show we were invited to Philly by my cousin Joan. For that filming we recruited Kristen and her fiance Aaron to help with interviews and other tasks. Noriko, Joshua and Dan, Joshua's father came to Philly to help out. During that time we lost our editor so I asked Catherine and John for help and that's when they join the team as tech support for NEIGHBORS.

Our Third Season we were invited to Danbury by, Joyce. She and her children Annonette, Michael and her grandson Johnathan were an excellent addition to NEIGHBORS. Danbury is where we recruited Joan and she has proven to be a great asset to the show.

NEIGHBORS Fourth Season was our shortest and we found ourselfves with more personalities than NEIGHBORS volunteers, due to the inclement weather. Joan and Darlene were all set to meet up at the filming location, but I didn't want them driving in the snow. Though Matthew, Leslie and I slide on the snow and ice to Philly and back, for othe Second Season, I didn't want Joan and Darlene to take the risk. Catherine and John helped me with tech support and Matthew rounded out the rough edges of the episode.

I want thank all of the folks that made the show happened, and if I've forgotten anyone please tell me and I'll add ya because you're work was import to the completion of the episodes of NEIGHBORS.

Vicki Mayfield Camacho
Executive Producer of NEIGHBORS
Creator of the Chess Song