2018 Annie Awards Winners
The Chasing Hope Foundation today recognized four local professionals who represent the highest standard in Illinois special education.
2018 Classroom Professional Award:
Leslie Stein of North Shore Academy
Classroom Professional category winner Leslie Stein of North Shore Academy gets a hug from the student who nominated her.
2018 Support Champion Award:
Angela Coady of Glenbrook South High School
Support Champion Angela Coady of Glenbrook South High School standing with the team of peers who nominated her.
2018 Administrative Leadership Award:
Diana Kon and Dr. Pete Myers, Co-Directors of the Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School
and
Dr. Casey Crnich, Executive Director of the Hyde Park Day SchooL
Beginning in 2019, this category will be known as the Brooke Whitted Excellence in Administrative Leadership in honor of the late Brooke Whitted.
Brooke Whitted established the Hyde Park Day School in 2000 to serve the unmet needs gifted children with learning differences in grades 1-8. The first campus initially shared space with the adjoining Orthogenic School, later opening a campus in Northfield and more recently in Lemont.
Additionally, Brooke served as chairman of the board of trustees for the Leslie Shankman School Corporation, the entity which operates both Hyde Park Day School and Orthogenic Schools, for over 20 years. In 2014, a state-of-the-art classroom and residential space shared by both schools opened a few blocks from the original space on the Midway Plaissance. This was made possible due to the unparalleled passion, drive and vision of Brooke Whitted.
2018 Annie Awards Special Guest: Keith O’Neil
Indianapolis Colts fanatic, and CHF patron, Jetta Boschen enjoys some face time with Keith.
Keith O’Neil receives a baseball cap from Chowdy Foundation founder Elizabeth Parkinson. Parkinson and her family created the Chowdy Foundation in memory of their son, William, who lost his battle with bipolar disorder in 2015.
“Chowdy” is a combination of ‘chill’ and ‘rowdy’, the ideal balance of competing moods.
Keith O’Neil with North Shore Academy (NSA) Principal Dr. Doug Bolton. One of NSA’s teachers was the Classroom Professional category winner.
About Keith O’Neil
Former NFL Linebacker and author Keith O’Neil traveled from his home in Buffalo, New York to help us celebrate our 2018 Annie Award Winners.
Keith played for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI, winning his own cherished championship ring, and playing in the final game of his NFL career.
In August of 2017, Keith published Under my Helmet: A Football Player’s Lifelong Battle with Bipolar Disorder. In his remarks, Keith spoke candidly about how living with bipolar presented both challenges and opportunities in professional football.
Since leaving the gridiron, Keith has been active in sharing his story and inspiring others who live with brain disorders. Erasing any stigma associated with mental health challenges and encouraging those who struggle to embrace support continues to drive Keith as diligently as his days on the field.
Following the awards ceremony, Keith visited New Trier High School’s Winnetka campus where he met with the Power Lifting team. Lead by head coach Jim Davis, Keith participated in an open forum with students, emphasizing the importance of supporting teammates who reach out to share concerns about their own mental health. Keith encouraged each team member to simply listen to a peer, rather than think they need to have the answers.
During Keith’s time with CHF, he participated in ESPN’s Sarah Spain’s podcast “That’s What She Said”, talking about the importance of mental health in professional sports.
Additionally, Keith was interviewed by Emmy-winning reporter Julie Peterson for Audlank Media’s “Toughest Tackle of HIs Life”.
Keith and his wife, Jill, are parents to sons Connor and Tanner.