Last weekend, 8-year-old Tanitoluwa Adewumi was crowned the champion at New York's state chess tournament for students kindergarten through third grade. The feat is all the more inspiring when one realizes that Adewumi’s family are recent refugees from Nigeria currently living in a New York City homeless shelter.

After a feature in  The New York Times, supporters immediately attempted to assist the small child's family.

According to the Times, Adewumi's family fled their home in fear of attack from the dangerous Boko Haram terrorist organization in 2017.

Over a year after arriving in New York, Adewumi has mastered the game and has seven trophies to boast. He was introduced to the game after a part-time chess instructor taught his elementary school class how to play.

Proving that practice makes perfect, Adewumi attends a three-hour practice session every Saturday, and uses his father's laptop to study during the evening.

His father works as an Uber driver and has also become a licensed real estate agent. His mother has received certification to work as a home health aide.

The family's touching story warmed the hearts of supporters and led to the creation of a GoFundMe account made in their name. Two days after its creation, the 'Just Tani' campaign, dubbed after the child's nickname has raised $108,000. The original goal was $50,000.

While support for the Adewumi family continues to pour in, they are current waiting for a decision on their asylum request to stay in the United States. The next hearing is scheduled for August.

Click here for more information on how to help Adewumi family.