Currently viewing archive for September 2013
As today is the last day of September, I wanted to thank everyone at Firefly for participating in September’s Ovarian Cancer and Childhood Cancer Awareness campaigns. Your support in going both teal and gold has been great to see, and I’m glad that we could spread some knowledge and awareness about the causes. While this is just a one part in helping the cause, it is great to see everyone come together to support of these causes and in spreading awareness.
Though this will be the final post on this cause this year, I wanted to leave you with a couple more options to personally continue to support awareness of Childhood Cancer and Ovarian Cancer if you choose to do so.
- Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is a great organization that provides fun ways to help support Childhood Cancer Awareness. ALSF formed when a childhood cancer patient wanted to have a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for childhood cancers. Though Alex Scott, the child who started the first lemonade stand, died at age 4, her legacy carries on through the foundation. To date, they have raised more than $60 million toward finding a cure, as reported on their website (www.alexslemonade.org)
- Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is one of the oldest and largest Ovarian Cancer charities in the US. On their website, they provide instructions how to host a fundraiser (along with a HUGE list of many ideas), how to donate, and how to be active in the organization. You can access their website here: http://www.ocrf.org/
By doing a quick Google search, you too can find other organizations to help support awareness and research of the two deadly cancers. The organizations/foundations that have been mentioned in previous emails and in this email here are in no way the only organizations out there. Firefly supports all of our staff in researching and finding positive awareness campaigns, but does not actively endorse any one organization or effort in particular.
PS. For our friends in Chicago, have you seen the skyline lit up teal? Firefly’s Jennifer Dlugolecki organized that through her participation in the NOCC.
Being engaged in the industries that support civil process service is important beyond just the obvious reasons of networking and meeting with clients. When process servers participate in industry conferences and sit in on the sessions, there is an abundance of information available about the overall climate of the industry. Last week, Firefly attended two associated with our industry: The Legal League 100 Servicer Summit at the Five Star Institute’s Five Star Conference and the ALA – Chicago Chapter’s Business Partner’s Expo.
The Five Star Conference/LEGAL LEAGUE 100 Servicer Summit
Firefly Legal’s Jennifer Dlugolecki and Stephanie Irvine attended the 10th Annual Five Star Conference and Expo began on Sunday, September 8th, 2013. The Legal League 100 Servicer’s Summit also held sessions on industry topics such as the changes with the CFPB, servicing updates, case studies, and more. The conference was held at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX.
The conference kicked off Sunday evening with a welcome reception that took place among the hotel’s three bars: Counter Offer, Gossip Bar, and Media Bar. With a free cocktail in hand, these venues offered an excellent space to network and meet up with clients and friends.
Monday started off Legal League activities with breakfast followed by round table sessions on Case Law and the CFPB. The CFPB session was led by Adam Wilde of Codilis & Associates who started important discussions on hot topics such as the 120 day rule, as well as the 37 day rule, and the unknowns that the ambiguity of recent regulation changes brought forth. Other conversation starts included Caren Castle of the Castle Law Group, Michelle Gilbert of the Gilbert Garcia Group, Jennifer Monty Rieker of Weltman, Weinberg, and Reis, Co. LPA. This session allowed for servicers to answer tough questions. Servicers present included Freddie Mac, Weinder Brodsky, Kider, PC, JP Morgan Chase, and Green Tree Servicing.
Following the first sessions of round table discussions, a Legal Legaue 100 Member’s Meeting commenced, where board members and chairpersons announced multiple position changes. This opened up a number of vacancies as board members will no longer also hold chair positions; the call for involvement was clear. Additionally, the recent issue with the Colorado Attorney General’s inquest into the billing practices of several law firms was briefly discussed.
The Member’s Meeting was followed by lunch, where keynote speaker David Moskowitz of Wells Fargo discussed industry changes and fielded questions from attendees regarding how to handle the CFPB. He advised that attorneys should be wary of sharing information, discuss what you can and can’t share, and keep the lines of communication open. Responsible business practices will be published by the CFPB this summer. He also advised that any issues should be brought to the CFPB before they find them and bring it to your attention. Be honest, forthright, and transparent. He acknowledged that consumer protection has become paramount for the government. Other topics covered included making disclosures understandable for consumers, the potential for mandatory consumer education, financial literacy, among many others.
ALA Chicago Business Partner Showcase
Firefly Legal exhibited at the ALA Chicago’s Educational Conference and Business Partner Expo on Friday, September 13th at the Fairmont in Chicago. The Business Partner’s Expo allows business partners the opportunity to showcase their services to administrative legal professionals. There were several educational sessions open to ALA members that related to HR, Linked In, business intelligence, and diversity in the workplace. There were over 100 professionals in attendance with a number of exhibitors. Firefly Legal also held a raffle for a $100 AmEx gift card. The winner was Diane M. Brummel, Director of Office Services, at SmithAmundsen.
Check out some of our pictures from the events!
Photos from the Five Star
Photos from the ALA
MEMORANDUM
Date: September 12, 2013
To: Firefly Legal Clients – Illinois
From: Firefly Legal Team
Re: Cook County Delays
At Firefly Legal, we want you to be informed of changes, delays, or other pertinent information that may affect how your business is done. Because that’s what trusted business partners do.
Please be advised that Firefly has been notified that the Cook County Circuit Clerks are running approximately 2 days behind in bulk filings. The number of clerks available at the Circuit Court has been reduced, which was cited as the reason for the delay.
Thank you!
Friday, September 6th, 2013 is the National Day to Wear Teal in support of Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Ovarian Cancer is the number one cause of gynecological deaths, and every year an estimated 14,400 women will die each year, according to Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
This month, Firefly Legal is participating in spreading awareness about this cause. Check out pictures from our Corporate and Tampa Offices as we support Ovarian Cancer Awareness!
Firefly Legal Goes Teal for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day!
Firefly Goes Teal to Support Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day!
Taking on a Cause
As you know, Firefly is taking the guiding principle of “capturing and rewarding knowledge” outside the scope of civil process service and making it the driving force for involvement with September’s Ovarian Cancer and Childhood Cancer Awareness campaigns.
Firefly tries to get involved with as many philanthropic efforts as we can. We are in the business of delivering bad news, and this allows us the opportunity to do some good by making a positive impact in the lives of our friends and neighbors. Hopefully, we can make an impact, no matter how small, in helping to educate and spread awareness about these deadly diseases.
Why?
Jenn Dlugolecki, our Director of Business Development has been involved with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition for many years, and this year I decided to get everyone at Firefly involved as one of our philanthropic efforts. Jenn’s involvement is personal, as her mom was a victim of ovarian cancer. Through the organization, she has participated in their annual walk, registration booths at events, and is part of the Teal Lights Committee. If you’re ever downtown in September and see the buildings lit up teal, Jenn facilitated that. Her goal is to get the whole Chicago skyline to go teal each year.
Mary Marvinac, a member of our skip tracing team at the corporate office, brought my attention to Childhood Cancer Awareness, which is promoted by the American Childhood Cancer Organization, among many other organizations. After being inspired to learn more about childhood cancer after listening to Taylor Swift’s song “Ronan,” during Stand Up 2 Cancer Telethon, Mary researched the song and found that it was written about Ronan Thompson, a boy who battled (and later succumbed to) neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer. The boy’s mother wrote a blog at first about her son, updating friends and family on his condition, but later used it as a platform to spread awareness. After reading the blog, Mary was compelled to try to help in any way she could.
Ovarian Cancer
This year, already 22,240 cases of ovarian cancer have been diagnosed.[1] Ovarian Cancer is the 10th most common cancer in women and the 5th cause of cancer-related death in women. It is the deadliest of all gynecological cancers. Every 24 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[2]
We’re spreading awareness by helping to educate people. Early detection can help save lives. Symptoms are subtle and common, and basically sound like whatever you’ve had to eat isn’t agreeing with you:
- Abdominal pressure, fullness
- Pelvic discomfort
- Persistent indigestion
If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, encourage her to make an appointment with her gynecologist. You can be evaluated for high risk factors, and from there, blood tests, transvaginal ultrasounds, and pelvic exams can help detect cancer early.
Childhood Cancer
According to the American Childhood Cancer Association, Childhood Cancers are a collection of 12 different kinds of cancer that typically only affect children. It’s the leading cause of death for children under the age of 18. Survival rates vary among the different types of cancer; some can have a 5 year survival rate of 90% while others have a rate of less than 5%.
Stunningly, the drugs used to treat children were developed in the 1950s. Sadly, there has not been much development in fighting these cancers; in the past 20 years, the FDA has only approved one new drug exclusively for pediatric patients. The current treatments leave almost 2/3 of survivors with at least one chronic health affect. [3]
There are many things you can do to get involved with this cause. The ACCO recommends contacting your state representatives to insist that childhood cancers be added to the state’s cancer plan legislation. You can volunteer for a childhood cancer organization, start a support group or outreach organization (or participate in one), and of course, by donating or raising funds to support childhood cancer research.
Firefly’s Promise
The easiest thing we can do is to take time out to help educate people about these deadly diseases. By being educated and aware, the better equipped we are to support those who need it. We encourage anyone who is able to volunteer, donate, or raise funds for one or both of these cancers to do so. Together, we can do a lot. Join us on social media with these hashtags #gogold #whyteal and also continue to check out our blog- we’ll be sharing information on these causes every week this month.
To learn more about Ovarian Cancer and how you can help, please visit NOCC’s website: http://www.ovarian.org/donate.php
To learn more about Childhood Cancers and how you can help , please visit the ACCO’s website: https://www.acco.org/AwarenessandAdvocacy/Awareness/RaiseAwareness.aspx
[1] According to www.ovarian.org
[2] According to www.ovariancancer.org/about-ovarian-cancer/statistics/
[3] According to www.acco.org
At Firefly, we make it a priority to support causes that make an impact on our community and in our hearts. As process servers, we don’t really get the opportunity to deal with good news. So, we do our best to engage in efforts that bring people up, encourage, and educated. From last years’ Firefly Run and school supply drive to our recent animal shelter supply drive (among many other efforts), we have made it a point to give back to our community in any way we can and as often as we can.
When we think about who we are as a civil process service company and who we want our company to be, we think back to our company promise and guiding principles:
- Proactively serve every client with a personal, responsive and appreciative attitude
- Tenaciously pursue greatness in our performance
- Capture and reward knowledge
- Be flexible and adapt quickly to change
- Set the bar high for integrity and principles-driven choices
- Find an excuse to smile every day.
This month for our philanthropic effort, we’re going to do something a little bit different. We’re going to apply “capture and reward knowledge” outside the scope of civil process service and make it the driving force for our campaign to get involved with a special cause. September is the designated month for two causes that are very close to two of Firefly’s employees: ovarian cancer and childhood cancer.
Be sure to check out our social media sites and our blog to stay updated and educated. In the meantime, you can learn more about this organizations on your own through the American Childhood Cancer Organization and through the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. We hope that you can join us and help spread the word to your friends and family, too.
#whyteal #gogold
