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The Power Of A Plainfield Mom: YEO In Action

"When Julie Ferenzi of Plainfield read an online journal about a baby boy who was given six to eights weeks to live and needed a bone marrow donor, she went into action." Catherine Ann Velasco, The Herald News

Julie Ferenzi At Bone Marrow Drive In Plainfield Illinois Several weeks ago, you may remember a post by Julie Ferenzi entitled, This Has Nothing To Do With Real Estate But Everything To Do With Humanity. She wrote about a little boy named Trevor Kott who urgently needed a bone marrow transplant. She wrote from her heart. "I don't know why I feel it is my duty to help this family find this very special person who will save their little boy... but I do know one thing. Trevor hasn't given up and neither am I."

When Trevor passed away, Julie still didn't give up. She organized a bone marrow drive in Plainfield, Illinois and she talked about it, not just on ActiveRain, but on CafeMom and Mother's Fighting For Others and her own Living In Plainfield blog.

The result?

A successful bone marrow drive generates 30 new registered donors. Julie got 50. Her post, I Had An Amazing Mother's Day Weekend, is a post that will not fail to bring a smile to your face.

Blogging has allowed Julie to share her voice in ways she was unable to imagine before the Project Blogger competition began. She intuitively understands that the goal should be to connect with real people in a real way and on a personal level. You can't fake this stuff. You can't force it into being. And she doesn't. This is who she is and it comes through loud and clear.

The headline in The Herald News said it all for me, Plainfield Mom Sets Up Bone Marrow Drive. Julie is a Plainfield, Illinois Mom who takes action and gets the job done. If she's to be as successful in her real estate career as she was with this bone marrow drive, that simple fact will have to come through in everything she does and everything she writes. And it will.

She would have done the drive without blogging. Don't get me wrong here. But her writing and connecting is the reason why the photo in you see here is even possible. That's Julie and Tracy Herring, a friend she met through their writings online at CafeMom. Julie likes to call it MySpace for Moms. I prefer to call it ActiveRain for Moms. Either way, the point is the same. Whether you're blogging for business or blogging for personal reasons, what we're all looking for is a way to connect with real, live human beings. It's about You Engaging Others, YEO.

I was so happy for Julie this weekend. She was able to truly engage others in a way that made a difference. You can't ask for more than that.

Posted by Jeff Turner on 05/15/2007 09:49 AM

Comments (28)

bone marrow, plainfield, julie ferenzi, yeo, project blogger

Originally posted at: Turner's Perspective: The Power Of A Plainfield Mom: YEO In Action

This post has been included in Illinois Information Will County, IL Information Plainfield, IL Information
Post is included in group: The Hubba Clubba...ROAR!
Post is included in group: Tributes and Kudos From the Heart

28 Comments on The Power Of A Plainfield Mom: YEO In Action

MAY

2007

Nothing less then Amazing. hats off to Julie!! Your YEO concepts is right on. I've been fiddling with an idea that is slowing coming into being.. but the jist of it is as you mention.. a way to connect with live human beings. I don't know how many times i needed the rock of truth to fall on my head, but yes, i get it... its all about relationships. :))

You already get it, Nick.

Very cool story Jeff, and I couldn't agree with you more. I had several people tell me they saw 2 blogs of mine in particular that caused them to get involved in something - one was on a local Arthritis Walk and the other revolved around earth day & planting trees in Denver. No doubt they liked the info & remembered who helped them get involved & connected.

I'm blushing... :)

Really.

Jeff...Thanks for takin gthe time to post this tribute to Julie.

I always love reading posts here from people lifting others' efforts, and this is no exception. Julie, KUDOS to ya on a job well done.

Wonderful story! Thank you for sharing and Julie, thank you for giving!

Jeff, a wonderful post!!! Obviously, writing about Julie is so easy, she is amazing at YEO. I'm glad to hear of the turn out for her marrow drive. I am very fortunate to "know" both of you. (even if it's only online) Thank you for a very enlightening story...both of you.

Jeff, Great post - thanks for sharing further with us how special Julie is - i can see why you 2 connect so well. 2 big hearted people - great assets to our community and profession.

Jeff,

Thanks for pointing out what a good person our fellow AR member, Julie is. We get so tied up in our business and personal lives that we do not see the good humanity that others perform. Julie is quite an asset to her community.

Steve... if you're motives are pure and you write from a place of authenticity, people can feel that. They can feel when you're faking it as well. For YEO to work, it has to be real.

Julie... blush away!

Robert, Ana, Bob, Cyndee and Mike... I wish you all could know her as well as I've come to know her. She's special. That's a fact.

Jeff, Very nice post.

Julie, Thank You for having the tenacity to not give up. You're an inspiration.

Ed... as are you, by the way. Your blog is on my must read list.

Jeff, I remember reading Julie's blog and wiping the tears off my face and now it's your blog's turn. This is a powerful and beautiful blog and after hearing all the terrible local news about psycho moms it is nice to know that there are angelic moms out there.

Mana... well, Julie's a little psycho. :)

Okay, if you say so.

Jeff, thanks for a great post. I had read her other entries on this subject and I was also moved to tears. That is so awesome what one person with a big heart and an equal amount of drive can do.

Way to go, Julie. I only know you from AR, but I'm glad to know you as I do!! (You make us all proud and set the bar nice and high.)

I couldn't agree more, Mary. And she has inspired others to act as well! Which is truly great. She certainly got my wife to act.

Jeff,

It's nice to see what can be accomplished through blogging. Thanks for pointing out that it's not just for generating income.

Fran

THANK YOU JEFF for sharing Julie's story. THANK YOU , JULIE for being you...To me this online community shines, and you are two reasons why.

MAY

2007

Fran and JaneAnne... thank you!

Jeff-What a beautiful post! She is really dazzling inside! I am rooting for her always and have so much respect and admiration for her. I love her posts, between you, Rocky and Julie I have no idea who makes me cry the most! That young lady is destined for greatness and it's awesome to watch it unfold, you are such a great mentor!

I see a pint made here that tells me I need to change some of what I do. I thanks you for your effort and time.

Dave... for me, there is no point to blogging if the only objective is search engine optimization. It has to go beyond that. The desire has to be connection, communication, conversation. In the end, it's about relationships and people. It always is.

Jeff...What a wonderful post. Julie is a real inspiration. I wont eat up comment space, but in the next day or so, I am going to write a post about what really pulls at me as a mom and something that I have been inspired to do.

After reading your responses to some of the comments, I feel more comfortable with where I want to take my blogging, so I thank you for that. I am a writer from the heart and off the cuff. I was afraid that I wasnt business enough. However, I believe that it is about being ourselves and people relate to those that open up a little, I think. I know it has been working, so thanks for the reminder and I wont change, except to get better at the basics :-)

MAY

2007

Brande... your comment brings a major smile to my face. I've been told throughout my career that I needed to do one thing or another that was more "business-like." I can hold my own in any presentation at any level, but I've refused to conform to traditional ideas of how business should work. Could I have gotten farther if I had... perhaps. But I would not have enjoyed the ride nearly as much. Focus on being the best YOU and not a version of someone else. Write with a purpose, write from the heart and the rest will work itself out.

JUN

2007

What a great tribute Jeff. I admire Julieand all she has been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time as a real estate agent. I am a mother of four also, and was crying like a baby when I read Juile's blogs about Trevor Kott. It was actually one of the very first blogs I read here on Active Rain. You GO Julie!

Lexa Montierth

JUN

2007

Lexa... Julie is just authentic. And, I get to meet her face to face tomorrow for the first time. The family should arrive at her house sometime early evening tomorrow. We're in Kearney, NE tonight.

JUL

2007

Jeff: I have read about your YEO articles but I think this one is simply the best. It really tells me exactly how it works. Thanks for showing the way....

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