By David Daggett on 3/30/2009 6:44 AM

A Featured Attraction

     Are you ready? A Featured Attraction is ready to begin! Prom season begins this week. We are all excited and ready for this special time of the year.

SSPN Commercial Shoot – West Forsyth High School

     This past week, we got a preview of "A Featured Attraction" with a group of students at West Forsyth High School. West Forsyth had the highest percentage of students take the Safe Sober Prom Night "Do It Right!" pledge out of all of our local high schools. In doing so, they won the opportunity to participate in this year’s Safe Sober Prom Night public service promotional TV advertisement.

     The West Forsyth students have great leadership with Principal Kurt Telford and faculty leader Ms. Sharon Hall. Ms. Hall and her students coordinated with the drama department for this extra curricular activity which really turned out to be a great experience for the students.

     A team from WXII TV turned the auditorium at the high school into a temporary film studio in order to shoot the spot. Mike Lewis and I had a great time with the students, and in the process they learned a bit of a lesson in actual film production.

     Our Lewis & Daggett team is always impressed with our local students. These students at West Forsyth High School were top-notch in all respects. We enjoyed the afternoon we spent with them, had a lot of fun, and are really excited about their future.

     This year’s SSPN TV ad should hit the airwaves in the next week or so. It will be posted at www.safeandsober.com. The website will also enable students to take the virtual pledge, contact friends, get prom tips, and keep up with all of the SSPN activities.

     Please join us in encouraging and supporting our students – they are off to a great start!

 

Read More »

By David Daggett on 3/23/2009 6:51 AM

SSPN T-Shirt Design Winner

      Last Friday we made a surprise presentation at Elkin High School of the 2009 Safe Sober Prom Night T-shirt design contest winner. The winning design which can be seen here will be featured on more than 15,000 T-shirts which will be distributed to high school students in our area as part of our Safe Sober Prom Night program.

      This year's winner is Mason Bovender from Elkin High School. Pictured above from left to right are art teacher Rita Minton, Mason Bovender, David Daggett from Lewis & Daggett, SRO Officer McMillan of Elkin High School, and Principal Mark Byrd.

      Prior to the classroom presentation, only Ms. Minton and Principal Byrd were aware that Mason was this year's winner. Principal Byrd arranged to have Mason's parents present for the presentation. Under the guise of making a guest presentation to the art students, our Lewis & Daggett team arrived in Ms. Minton's classroom supposedly to present a lecture on using art and graphic design in the business world. After Mason was called forward to participate in the presentation, it was a total surprise to Mason and the class that he was awarded the first place prize in the Safe Sober Prom Night T-shirt design contest.

      Ms. Minton was not surprised that one of her students won this year's competition. In fact, last fall at a preliminary Safe Sober Prom Night meeting she commented that her students would be competitive in this year's competition. Clearly, she inspires her students to participate in the community and to take advantage of opportunities to showcase their talents.

     An obviously proud Ms. Minton watched along with Mason's family as he was presented with the $500.00 check and a specially framed T-shirt commemorating his winning design. Our Lewis & Daggett team is impressed by the support and encouragement the teachers, faculty and administration give their students.

       This year Lewis & Daggett celebrates 19 years of working with students in the Safe Sober Prom Night program. Since founding the program, the efforts have become part of our firm culture. The next eight weeks are extremely busy for our Lewis & Daggett team as we visit and distribute the T-shirts at all of the local participating schools. This year our team will personally visit approximately 40 schools encouraging students with the "Do It Right!" pledge.

 

Read More »

By David Daggett on 3/16/2009 6:49 AM

The Secret Ingredient

        Chef Travis Myers recently made a presentation to our Lewis and Daggett team on his "secret ingredient." Chef Myers has quite a resume’. He is currently the Executive Chef at the popular River Birch Lodge.

       Myers is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, one of the premiere cooking schools in the world.

Read More »

By David Daggett on 3/9/2009 6:45 AM

Healthy Living

     This past weekend our Lewis & Daggett team participated in the Healthy Living Expo at the Winston-Salem Convention Center. This is an annual event in town that brings out a large cross section of folks from our community.

     Many thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth - we enjoyed seeing you and speaking with you. It seemed like we had one of the busiest and most popular booths at the whole expo. Members of our L & D team staffed the booth throughout the day, and we always had at least 7 or so of us working.

     From the photo above you can see that our L & D team had a good time, and engaged a number of attendees in the fun of the event. As you know from our Values and Culture, we enjoy this sort of interaction and it makes us feel like we are furthering our law firm mission.

     The event is a good opportunity for all of us to improve our teamwork outside the office. We are always favorably impressed at the commitment of our folks to events like this that are strictly voluntary in participation.

     The last several years we have also used the Healthy Living Expo as sort of a kick off for our Safe Sober Prom Night activities. Prom season is just around the corner so we try to start raising awareness within the community.

     Planning, teamwork, and friends made the Expo memorable and enjoyable. We enjoyed the time we spent together and the fun the we had sharing with the community what we all like to do here at the firm!

     Each year at the Expo we meet new friends, and rekindle old relationships. If you dropped by our booth, thank you! We were glad to see you!

 

Read More »

By David Daggett on 3/2/2009 9:38 AM

Fresh Off The Press

      The Book is Here, The Book is Here! Finally, the fruit of our labor has arrived!!! We now are in possession of "North Carolina Injury Law: A Reference for Accident Victims," the book that we have been working on for the last year.

       Writing a book was an interesting and lengthy process. It is also quite a learning experience. We wrote several drafts, proofread it a number of times, worked with printers, graphics experts, and publishers. It was a lot of work, but now that the book is here the result is also very exciting and rewarding.

Read More »

By David Daggett on 2/23/2009 9:56 AM

Embrace Our Students

      Students are always exciting to be around. At Lewis & Daggett we spend a lot of time working with youth in our community. Through our Safe Sober Prom Night program and other presentations throughout the year we spend a lot of time with young people.

      This past week we spoke to a group of students in the YMCA program. The Y does a great job developing and encouraging these young people. We talked with the after school group last year, and they invited us back to join them again.

     We made a presentation on Internet safety to these students. This is a topic we have spoken on a number of times over the past year to student, parent, church, and community groups. This topic seems very relevant and is very well received by the students.

     One thing that is always we clear to us is that students today strongly desire adult leadership. We are all looking for encouragement, support, direction, leadership, and love. As leaders, as business people, as church leaders, and as spouses and parents we have an inherent obligation to each do our small part to help these students along and ensure our future.

     There is one sure way to ensure the future of all the things that are important and valuable to us. Love other children as much we love our own. This is easy to say but certainly not always easy to do. When done, however, it is as moving of an experience as a human can experience.

      A common denominator of all successful people is that they have had at least one other person outside their own family take a special interest in them. Just one person who connects with them, cares about them, follows them, encourages and supports them. Sort of like good old fashioned mentoring. If we each have our personal mentor and our personal mentee, how can we help but succeed individually and collectively.

      This one-by-one relationship based success formula isn’t political, sectarian, agended, or divisive. It is simply being there to support, encourage and love. Anyone can do it, and everyone will receive it. Together we all can, and must, ensure our bright future.

      Embracing and encouraging students is part of our Lewis & Daggett culture. If you would like a presentation on Internet Safety, Student Success, Our Legal System, or Safe Sober, contact us at 1-866-299-1769, or e-mail at info@lewisdaggett.com.

 

Read More »

By David Daggett on 2/16/2009 7:05 AM

Your Auto Insurance

      Have you checked your automobile insurance coverage recently? Do you fully understand your coverage? The world of insurance coverage can be very confusing and hard to understand. We will spend several weeks reviewing auto insurance coverage.

      At Lewis & Daggett we talk with victims of motor vehicle wrecks every day. We often find that folks have questions about their insurance coverage, or are not adequately insured. In an effort to demystify the complicated world of auto insurance, we want to briefly review the various types of coverages and the purpose of each.

Read More »

By David Daggett on 2/9/2009 8:50 AM

Heart Healthy

     February is American Heart Month. That seems to make sense since hearts also coincides with Valentine’s Day! So, let’s review a few tips to help keep our heart healthy.

     Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in our society. The American Heart Association has many resources and events to help raise awareness. Hopefully these efforts will turn the rising tide of heart disease.

     The risk of heart disease significantly increases as excess weight increases. Excess weight puts significant stress on the cardiovascular system. We can all start by eating better. A few really simple dietary rules can get us on track.

     Limiting or moderating food and total calorie intake is a good start. Three easy rules can get us on the road to better body composition. Reduce intake of saturated fats, reduce intake of simple sugars, and try to eliminate all trans fats such as hydrogenated oils. Doing this leaves us with a diet of lean meats, whole grains, and lots of fruit and vegetables.

     Smoking is another activity that drastically increases the risk of heart disease. There are many resources to help reduce and quit smoking. For smokers simply stopping is the number one most healthy thing you can do.

     Starting an exercise or fitness program can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise at least five times per week. Working exercise into your daily routine can be fun, healthy, and allow you to live better and longer.

     Most of all, our heathier lifestyles will set a positive example for the coming generation so we can all enjoy a healthier, happier, and more productive community. Join our Lewis and Daggett team in working toward a healthier 2009!

 

Read More »

By David Daggett on 2/2/2009 6:52 AM

To Your Health

       The unique resources of our Lewis & Daggett team include our full time nurse on staff. Donna Tankersley is our medical records review coordinator. She is a registered nurse, a registered medical assistant, and is certified by the American Heart Association as a basic life support instructor.

        Donna provides a vital assistance to our team of attorneys and staff in reviewing and analyzing medical records. This allows us to better represent and advocate the medical aspects of our clients cases.

Read More »

By David Daggett on 1/26/2009 7:54 AM

Personal Crime Safety

      According to FBI statistics a violent crime occurs in the United States every 22.2 seconds. With our economy in decline the threat of crime on individuals is increasing. Therefore, it is prudent to review a few personal safety tips to help you avoid being a victim of crime.

      At Lewis and Daggett we have had intra-office programs the last two weeks to learn how to avoid being a victim of violent crime. Our first program focused on basic tips for personal and home safety, and the second program, held in a gym, focused on some basic self defense tactics. Both programs were enlightening and educational for us.

Read More »