Lake County Gazette

The Libertyville Village Board recently recognized a young resident for his achievement.

Josh Craft, a student at the College of Lake County studying secondary education with a focus in history, received the honor.

“It's very important today to recognize the efforts of our young people,” Donna Johnson, mayor of Libertyville, said at the Nov. 22 Village board meeting. “Commitment and hard work is no longer something that you take for granted. It builds character and it says a lot for who you'll become in the future.”

Craft has been employed by local municipalities since the summer of 2019, working at both Addler Pool and Riverside Pool. This past summer, he was presented with the Golden Guard Award from a local partner that focuses on safety and operational solutions for aquatic facilities. They present the award to a lifeguard who shows excellent lifeguarding skills and a high degree of professionalism. It is the highest honor that they present.

Jeff Ellis and Associates, the award's underwriter, is an international lifeguard association that is dedicated to eliminating drowning through proactive risk management. The Village partners with the firm, which performs monthly unannounced audits of all the aquatic facilities without alerting the employees in order to ensure the highest degree of safety is always maintained.