A call to action

Identity theft.  It's a scary thought and a very serious reality for many people.  We all know, as consumers, that we are at risk for this very real and very personal breach of security.  But it wasn't until my own encounter with identity theft that a much bigger problem was brought to my attention.

I'm unaware of exactly how criminals can obtain our personal information.  I am, however, under the impression that this is far easier to do than most of us even know.  I considered myself fairly diligent in monitoring my credit.  For example, the government requires that each of the credit reporting agencies permit you to request one free credit report every 12 months (you can do this by going to www.annualcreditreport.com).  And I did this annually.  I'd request my reports, print them out and review them carefully to be sure nothing seemed out of place.  This is all well and good, but what about the 364 days between now and when I can request my report again?  Of course, there are a million credit monitoring products out there.  I have no experience with any of them (pretty obvious statement given my recent problems), so that research is up to you.  But this call to action isn't really about the initial theft of ones identity.  My concern at this point is how retailers are handling the information provided to them on credit applications.

The call I received today was from the New Accounts Department at Target.  They were calling me to verify some information on the application I completed on Sunday for their Target Red Card.  While I will admit that I shop at Target on a regular basis, I knew for a fact that I wasn't there on Sunday and that I absolutely didn't apply for a credit card.  When I discovered the application was made in Oklahoma City, I knew my problem was a little bigger than I was prepared for.  I was informed that the application was flagged because the name on the application didn't exactly match the name on my credit report.  After several minutes of verifying that the thieves had all of my personal information (name, date of birth, address and social security number), I was told that Target had a copy of their driver's license and would provide it to police if it was requested.  A whole new set of concerns sunk in at that moment and I asked if the information on the driver's license was also mine.  Shockingly, the answer was no.

What?!?!  So, you're telling me that someone provided you with all of my personal information and, when asked for ID, they produced identification that had a different name, address and date of birth on it?!?  Yes, that was exactly what she was telling me.  She proceeded to explain that, just because the person's identification and credit application information don't match, that does not keep them from processing the application.  The ONLY reason this application was flagged as potentially fraudulent was because the dumb ass attempting to steal my identity had spelled my name wrong.

At this point, the only logical explanation I can come up with is that they are required to process all applications in order to avoid any kind of lawsuit suggesting that they might be prejudiced in any way.  But shouldn't this be common sense? 

When all is said and done with this entire matter, I can assure you that I will be writing a strongly worded letter to the fine people at Target to let them know my feelings on this issue.  Please don't get me wrong... it is highly unlikely that I will ever stop shopping there... I love Target.  My 'call to action' is not for a boycott of the store.  But I do think that changes need to be made in how they process credit applications.  By handling them this way, they are greatly increasing the risk of identity theft... and pissing off their loyal patrons for their stupidity.

Of course, this begs the bigger question... how many other retailers handle credit applications in this manner?  You'd better believe I'll be doing my research to find out whether this is a nationwide standard or if it is only certain retailers.  And if this is simply the standard set by the industry, I can assure you that the fine people who make our laws and set our regulations will be getting a few letters from me as well.

So my call to action is this: Do your research, know how the system works and, if you find other retailers that handle these things in this manner, please speak up, write a letter and let these establishments know that, as well-informed consumers, we don't appreciate their lack of due diligence when it comes to matters related to identity theft.

Learning something new

Have you learned something new recently?  I have... and it's a pretty cool feeling.

I don't claim to be an expert on anything.  Well, that's not exactly true... I suppose I like to give people the impression that I'm an expert on lots of things.  But I don't think anyone actually believes it... I know I certainly don't.  While I love to be the person that people come to for answers, which seems to be the case far more often at the office than at home (I'm capable of admitting that my hubby is the expert of most things at home), I can also admit that there's plenty I don't know.  Plenty.  (Don't tell my husband that... or my boss, for that matter.)

But expert or not, I at least like to have a basic understanding of things that affect my life and my family.  Which is exactly why I took a gun safety course.  Sure, we'd all like to believe that this isn't something we all need to know about, but fact of the matter is there are unsafe places in this world... sadly, this is sometimes true of our own neighborhoods.  So while my husband is a gun owner, proud to have learned about hunting at a young age and already looking forward to one day passing on his knowledge to our son, I didn't grow up with guns in my home and I didn't know anyone that liked to hunt.  When my husband and I first moved in together, this was a huge hurdle for me.  Surely I couldn't ask him to give up something he enjoyed (that's something we women usually wait until marriage for), but it always made me uncomfortable.  I'd call it a 'healthy fear' of guns.  I couldn't even claim to know the basics.  So shooting for the first time was scary... kinda cool, but way scary.

Once our son was born I only had one stipulation to keeping guns in the house - we needed a gun safe so that they were always out of reach.  Easy peasy... problem solved.  Truth be told, I felt safer having them locked up anyway.

And then there were a few break-ins.  Three in one night, all on our street, the closest one just 2 doors down.  Talk about hitting close to home!  And that's when it really sunk in... just how unsafe your own home can be.  And here we are, gun owners... and me with no knowledge of what to do with them.  Someday in the not too distant future my husband would teach our son about gun safety and our 'little boy' would know more than I did.  God forbid our son ever ask me a question on the subject and I would have to say "I don't know".  Not acceptable.

So yesterday was the day I decided to learn what I needed to learn... partly for safety, partly to know what to do if anything ever went wrong, and partly to just feel comfortable with these things in our home. And I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am that I did!

The class was taught by Commence Firearms Training Academy in Cleveland.  Their staff was amazing and, within the first hour, I already felt more comfortable with guns than I had when I walked in the door... and it would be another 7 hours before we had any hands-on training.  It was a long day - 12 hours of training and information - but it was presented in a way that made it so easy to understand... and amazingly enough, the day flew by.  When all was said and done, I left there feeling like a completely new person.  Like I knew exactly what I would need to do if the situation ever presented itself.  Needless to say, the hope is that it never does... but at least I now have the knowledge I need to feel safe in my own home.

So, no, I'm still no expert on the subject.  But I was reminded just how important it is to continue learning new things.  Times change, people change and our world changes around us on a continuous basis.  Sometimes you have no choice but to adapt in order to move on.  For me, this is what allowed me to feel safe again. 

Aside from feeling safer, I thoroughly enjoyed learning something new.  I don't believe we appreciate this enough when we're in school... especially when it's something we have to do as opposed to something we choose.  But it's a really good feeling to gain new knowledge, to discover something you never knew existed and to know that, with a little bit of time and effort, you can walk away a better/stronger/smarter person than when you started.

If you have the desire to learn something new, don't wait... learning can be so much fun :)

Girls on the Run - 5k

It's hard to believe just how fast 10 weeks can go!  But here we are... at the end of our 10 week fall 2012 season of Girls on the Run!  And what an amazing season it's been :)

This program is so much fun!  I believe I covered all of the basics in this post: Girls on the Run.  Looking back and reading how I felt about the program just 2 weeks into the season doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of where I am today.

So where am I?  I'm inspired, uplifted, motivated, optimistic... I want to set bigger goals, try harder, be a better person, set a good example... I want to say more, do more, be more... I want everything this life has to offer... and then some :)

I suppose I should backtrack for just a moment and share my thoughts and experiences from the last 8 weeks of the season.  I will admit that I found myself a little frustrated at times... maybe more so with myself than with these 11 wonderful young ladies.  This was my first attempt at working with girls this age and I'd completely forgotten what it was like to be one of them (20 years has a way of doing that).  I had to remind myself that these girls weren't here to 'train'.  They didn't join the program to become athletes.  They were there to learn a few life lessons, get some exercise and learn about achieving goals.  And they were there to have fun.  What they hadn't signed up for was teaching an adult a few lessons about living life, enjoying small victories and a whole new level of patience.  It would appear they reached their own goals and a whole lot more.  By the end of this season I think I finally figured out that I'd had a lot to learn myself... and maybe, just maybe, I'd gotten more out of the season than they did.

So once I learned a few of my own life lessons, I settled into my position as Running Buddy and gave it everything I had. 

The practice 5k was a week before the real deal and, after our visit from Hurricane Sandy, the day was dark, cold and rainy.  Not ideal weather for a bunch of ten and eleven year olds to run 3.1 miles.  But, let me tell you, they were troopers!  My job was to try to keep everyone moving and, in the end, I managed to spend a little time with almost everyone on the team.  It's been tough for me to figure out what motivates these girls to work hard, but I found that most of them truly did have a desire to do well and, even though it was hard, there was far less walking than there had been at most practices and, when they crossed that finish line, there were some seriously huge smiles.  All of the girls who finished early on gathered at the finish line to cheer on the rest of the team and each of them received a certificate for completing a 5k.  After 8 weeks of training, they were ready to run their end of the season race.

So yesterday, November 11th, was the season ending 5k at Blossom Music Center.  With over 1,000 participants, these girls ran in a race larger than most races I've run.  And it was like no other race I've ever seen.  Everyone was encouraged to make tiaras (mad props to the dads who participated in this activity), spray paint their hair and, in all ways possible, show their individuality while still being part of a team.  It was amazing to see these girls encouraging one another, being positive and having a great time doing it.  All of the participants in the GOTR program were given race bibs with the #1 (because we're all #1 no matter how we finish)... everyone else got regularly numbered race bibs.  And each team had something special to signify that they were a team (Team Avon Lake had neon green bandannas... every one of which I believe was worn a different way).  There were tutus, headbands, streamers, face paint and scarves, so even though every program participant in the Greater Summit region wore a navy blue Girls on the Run race shirt, each team and each runner could stand out in the crowd.  I can't wait to see those photos!

As a Running Buddy, it was my job to stick with a few girls for the entire race.  Lily and Madison asked if I would run with them and I gladly accepted... it took me back a few years to when kids picked teams... and I can't tell you how honored I was to be first pick for these girls.  Talk about personality!  They have a way of keeping you entertained for hours!

So at the start of the race, the three of us stuck together... both uphill and down... and kept each other going.  Just a little shy of half way, Madison decided that a slightly slower pace would be better for her, so another coach stepped in to run the rest of the race with Lily and I had the pleasure of sticking it out with Madison.  Talk about a girl with drive.  For someone her age, I would have expected complaints and requests to stop.  But not Madison.  As many times as I'd seen her walk in practice, she seemed to have brought her A game to this race!  This course had rolling hills and, coming from the Cleveland area, we're just not used to anything like it.  But Madison continued to impress me with her effort throughout the entire race.  As difficult as it was and as much as she admitted that she was struggling with those hills, she powered through every one of them and didn't walk a single step of the entire race.  She even had a little something extra saved up for the finish line.  Every one of our girls finished the race and gave it everything they had.  There were girls that walked parts of the race that refused to walk through the finish line and gave it every last bit of effort they had for a strong finish, where family and friends were cheering them on, there were dads with tears in their eyes as their daughters finished their first race, and there were girls everywhere smiling ear to ear that were so proud of their accomplishments as they posed for pictures with family and friends and celebrated their amazing victory.  There were hugs and laughter all around us!  It was a race environment like none I'd ever experienced before... and now I simply can't wait to experience it again!

Team Avon Lake:  You are an inspiring group of young women and have changed me in ways I never imagined!  Here's to you, an amazing season and hopefully more to come!



Photo by Girls on the Run of Greater Summit