Board Honors Breathe Deep, Chess Champ

Village Board of Trustee meetings often begin with a proclamation recognizing an individual or an organization but five is an unusual number.

Breathe Deep North Shore and Illinois state chess champion Jonathan Kogan were recognized for their contributions to the community while Arbor, and Earth Day and National Public Safety Telecommunications Week were officially proclaimed in Deerfield at the start of Monday’s Board meeting.

Earlier: Fun Run To Raise Money for Long Cancer Research

“We’ve had two before but never this many,” Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said. In her 28 years as a trustee or mayor she cannot remember four at one meeting. And to make things more festive, Deerfield joined officials from six other communities supporting Breathe Deep earlier.

Breathe Deep Day will be April 28 at Deerfield High School where Breathe Deep North Shore will hold its annual 5-K fun run and one-mile walk to help raise money for Lungevity Foundation to fight lung cancer.

Participating in the presentation for Breathe Deep were organization President Andrea Ferris and local activist Sue Bersh of Deerfield as well as Deerfield High School students Graham Ambrose and Samantha Gottstein.

Ambrose and Gottstein chaired the Deerfield High School School Chest drive which set an all time record in December raising $135,393.17 to benefit Lungevity. They were honored again at a school assembly Tuesday.

An hour before the Board meeting began, officials from Buffalo Grove, Highland Park, Highwood, Long Grove, Riverwoods and Bannockburn joined Rosenthal to issue proclamations recognizing Breathe Deep North Shore Day for their communities.

Evanston, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Skokie, Vernon Hills and Wheeling have also issues proclamations but were not there.

Kogan was recognized for his accomplishments as a Chess grand master who became Illinois state champion earlier this year and will represent the state in the national tournament. He was presented with a road sign designating his achievement as Deerfield does when one of its residents becomes the best in Illinois.

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