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Tallahassee
Office (Map/Directions)
3375-A Capital Circle N.E.
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
Toll Free: (877) ALL WE DO
Local Phone: (850) 553-HELP or
(850)
422-7773
Fax: (850) 422-3449
Contact Us
Key
West Office (Map/Directions)
608 Whitehead Street
Key West, Florida 33040
Toll Free: (877) ALL WE DO
Local Phone: (305) 294-4585
Fax: (305) 294-7822
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Thomasville
Office (Map/Directions)
214 West Jackson Street
Thomasville, Georgia 31792
Toll Free: (877) ALL WE DO
Local Phone: (229) 226-HELP or
(229) 226-4357
Fax: (850) 422-3449
Contact Us
E-mail: lawyers@wrongfullyinjured.com
Disclaimer
Personal Injury Law...
It's All We Do! |
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Recent Highlights
FLF&M
Awards $4,500 to Teens for Responsible Choices
High school graduation is a major milestone in the
life of a young person. It is a time of great joy and family gatherings.
However, unsupervised celebrations associated with this life passage
also can be dangerous, and even deadly, for many teens throughout
the nation.
For the past twenty years, a high percentage of our community’s
graduating teens have chosen to celebrate safely at a substance-free
Project Graduation event. The all-night “lock-in” parties
are organized and supervised by parent volunteers. Firm partner
Hal Lewis, a Leon High graduate, was a member of the first class
in Leon County to hold a Project Graduation event in 1984.
We applaud
the parents and teens who choose to participate in these safe
celebrations. Our firm also subscribes to the belief that rewarding
positive behavior is the key to maximizing it. That is why
in 2002 we created the FLF&M Responsible Choice Awards
program, to reward young people who are making mature and safe
decisions.
For
the third consecutive year, our firm presented $4,500 in cash to students
who made the responsible choice to celebrate safely at their school’s
Project Graduation. We
contributed $500 to each of the eight Leon County participating schools
and Wakulla High School. As
the all-night event wrapped up, the names of five students were drawn
at each school’s gathering. |
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Thank
you to these Project Graduation volunteer coordinators.
Without their hard work and dedication, these lifesaving events
would not be possible.
Chiles
Steve
Burroughs
Florida High
JoAnn
Jirak
Godby
Ginger
Martin
Leon High
Candi
Aubin
Lincoln High
School
Madeline
Hartsfield
Maclay
Susan
Cassedy
Debbie Snow
Rickards
Willie
May Footman
Wakulla
Captain
Jim Griner & Marlene Sanders with Wakulla County Sheriff's
Office
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 Forty-five
lucky students began the summer with a $100 check from Fonvielle Lewis
Foote & Messer!
Here are what a few of the 2004 Project Graduation winners
had to say when asked why they attended their Project Graduation events:
“Because I knew it would be one of the last memories
I could make with my classmates. How could I pass on the opportunity
to play laser tag, ride go-karts, play arcade games, and win money?” said
Jonathan Clodfelter, North Florida Christian graduate.
“Because it was a safe alternative to have fun on
graduation night. It was also the last opportunity to spend time with
my classmates,” said Allison Calson, Chiles High School Graduate.
“To celebrate graduation and win money!” said
David Guttenplan, Leon High School graduate.
“I heard it was a lot of fun and I wanted to spend
one last memorable night with all my friends. Also, who can turn down
free money and prizes?” said Colleen Wilson, Chiles High School
graduate.
Hopefully, we can continue to encourage even more graduating
seniors to make the smart, safe decision to attend Project Graduation.
Congratulations to all our winners!
FLF&M
Awards $3,000 to "Battle of the Belts" Winners
It’s the most
effective way to prevent serious injury or even death in a vehicular
crash. And all it takes is a simple click. It’s the decision
to wear a seat belt. Despite the efforts of a number of organizations,
we at FLF&M continue to witness all too often the tragic results
of not buckling up.
Deadly automobile
crashes continue to be a dark reality in our community because drivers
and occupants don’t wear seat belts.
Chiles High School was awarded $1,000 by FLF&M for having the
highest seat belt usage rate in the Battle of the Belts competition.
Pictured with Partners Jim Messer and Hal Lewis are: Superintendent
Bill Montford, Tallahassee Police Chief Walter McNeil, Chiles High
Principal Alan Cox, Officer David McCraine, and two students from
Chiles High.
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Across
the country, motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer
of teenagers ages 15 to 20. In Florida, it is against the law
to not buckle up. Still, 60% of the people who died in passenger
vehicle crashes in 2002 were not buckled up. In 2002, 40,149
teenage drivers were involved in traffic crashes in Florida,
with 3,557 teens seriously injured and 297 killed. In 2002 in
Leon County, there were six traffic fatalities involving teens.
To increase
seat belt use by young people in our community, FLF&M was
proud to, once again, partner with the Tallahassee Police Department
(TPD) for the 2004 “Battle of the Belts.”
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Battle of the Belts,
held this past February and March, is a friendly competition between
the five local public high schools, Florida State University School
(Florida High), and FAMU High School to challenge drivers and passengers
to wear their seat belts. The goal of the program is to educate the
community, especially high school student drivers, on the importance
of buckling up. Officers from the TPD and members of the TPD Community
Traffic Watch conducted random seat belt surveys of vehicles entering
and leaving these school campuses. The officers conducted the pre-survey
before announcing the competition. They returned to the campuses unannounced
to survey seat belt usage and determine increased usage.
“As professionals
and parents, this is a very personal issue for our firm,” said
partner Jim Messer. “We all agree that adults play a vital role
in teaching and reminding young people to always buckle up. This message
needs to be consistently reiterated once students are driving on their
own and have passengers in their automobiles. This program serves as
a very visible reminder of the importance of that message.”
The high schools
with the “Highest Buckle Up Rate” and the “Most Improved
Buckle Up Rate” were each awarded a plaque and a $1,000 check
from FLF&M. The $1,000 is designated for direct student-related
activities, such as the Junior-Senior Prom or graduation-related activities
like Project Graduation. Chiles High School won the award for “Highest
Buckle Up Rate” with 91% (4% increase over the pre-survey). Leon
High School (84%, an 8% increase over pre-survey) and Godby High School
(58%, an 8% increase over the pre-survey) tied for the “Most
Improved Buckle Up Rate”, so FLF&M agreed to award both schools
$1,000 each. Congratulations to our winners! Though these schools showed
a great effort, we aim to have 100% seat belt usage among all drivers.
Godby
High School tied Leon High School in the Battle of the Belts
competition
for the most improved seat belt usage rate.
Both
schools were awarded $1,000 by Fonvielle Lewis Foote & Messer.
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Pictured with Partners Jim Messer and Hal Lewis are: Godby High Principal
Randy Pridgeon and Officer David McCraine, along with students
and representatives from Godby High School.
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Pictured with Partners Jim Messer and Hal Lewis are: Superintendent
Bill Montford, Officer David McCraine, Leon High Principal Margo
Hall, and three students from Leon High.
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“The
Tallahassee Police Department is honored to again have Fonvielle
Lewis Foote & Messer as our partner for this important program.
We were most impressed and appreciative when they stepped forward
with an additional $1000 cash award to accommodate the tie between
Leon and Godby. The firm also generously supports Project Graduation
with cash awards to encourage responsible choices among teens.
They are truly invested in the safety of our community,” said
Sergeant Judy Suchocki of TPD’s Traffic Unit and director
of the Battle of the Belts program.
While Battle
of the Belts is an annual program among high schools, we all
need to remember and remind each other to buckle up every single
day. No matter your age, we all play a role in preventing these
senseless tragedies caused by not wearing seat belts.
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The Tallahassee Police
Department presented FLF&M a Community Partners in Excellence
Award in recognition of the firm's support of Battle of the
Belts. Pictured left to right are: Superintendent Bill Montford,
FLF&M Partner Jim Messer, FLF&M partner Hal Lewis,
Tallahassee Police Chief Walter McNeil, Sgt. Judy Suchocki
and Officer David McCraine
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Click here to see more FLF&M community
service activities highlighted in the Fall/Winter 2004 issue of LawTalk
newsletter.
© 2007 Fonvielle Lewis Foote & Messer
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