Teen spelling wiz creates puzzle to donate to seniors and others in isolation

CHICAGO -- Fifteen-year-old Streeterville native Riya Joshi is putting her love of words to good use. From the time she was little, Riya would play Scrabble and Boggle with her family, was in multiple spelling bees, and solved crossword puzzles competitively.

"As I got older my initial desire to win turned into a love of spelling, vocabulary, and words," Joshi said.

One day, she decided to create some puzzle challenges for her family to try and they loved it. Now, the high school sophomore has created and self-published an original booklet of crosswords, word scrambles and word searches called "Detective Wordy: Chicago Edition." One hundred percent of proceeds from the sale of her puzzle book goes into printing

copies for donations.

For every copy sold, three are donated to children's hospitals, senior assisted-living facilities, libraries, and literacy centers.

"I really love the ability of being able to take something I love and help other people, especially people who are feeling really isolated right now help them learn and share the same love of words that I have," says Joshi.

She hopes to create even more city editions, as well as a book for kids with dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

For more information on how you can order a puzzle book and support Riya's mission, head to wordywhat.org