Knowledge: The RDDHI Blog · RDDHI | Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei

Big Slick 2021: Supporting Children’s Mercy RDDHI Service Spotlight

By Clayton E. Dickey and Kurt L. Rasmussen
· June 11th, 2021

Filed under
Community Service

For over a decade, Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei has sponsored Big Slick, a fun-packed weekend featuring Kansas City native celebrities supporting Children’s Mercy. RDDHI’s support of Big Slick began with founding member Clay Dickey’s personal experience with Children’s Mercy.

Children’s Mercy

In 2009, Clay’s nephew Quinton was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just one year old. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that most often affects children under five, and Quinton’s diagnosis was dire. However, after spending a year under the world-renowned care of Children’s Mercy, Quinton has been in remission for over 13 years.

Children’s Mercy was founded in 1897 by two sisters: Alice Berry Graham, a dentist, and Katharine Berry Richardson, a surgeon. Already pioneers as female doctors in the 19th century, the Berry sisters began their work with sick and poor children by renting beds and treating the children in small hospitals, as no hospital would directly admit them to practice medicine. Since then, Children’s Mercy has since grown into a top-tier network of hospitals, specialty clinics, and research institutes based in the Kansas City area.

Big Slick

Around the same time that Quinton was at Children’s Mercy, the concept for Big Slick was coming together. Actor and comedian Rob Riggle, a native of Overland Park, Kansas, Shawnee Mission South High graduate, and University of Kansas alum, planned to host a poker tournament to raise funds for Children’s Mercy. He reached out to a few of his other celebrity friends from the Kansas City area for help.

Actor Paul Rudd also grew up in the Kansas City area, attending Shawnee Mission West High School and KU. His mother Gloria, a volunteer at Children’s Mercy, encouraged her celebrity son to help with the fundraiser. Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudeikis, also an Overland Park native and Shawnee Mission West grad, signed on to help as well. The three went on to recruit additional celebrities, family, and friends to help put together the tournament on a shoestring budget. The first Big Slick Celebrity Weekend and poker tournament at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City in 2010 raised nearly $100,000 for Children’s Mercy.

Big Slick host Rob Riggle with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a Children's Mercy patient.

Over the last decade, Big Slick has grown to include bowling tournaments, celebrity softball games, and wild entertainment from Riggle, Rudd, and Sudeikis. Kansas City, Kansas Native Eric Stonestreet and mid-Missourian David Koechner have also joined as hosts of Big Slick. Additional guests have included Will Ferrell, Selena Gomez, Will Forte, Adam Scott, and a number of Kansas City athletes including Patrick Mahomes and Eric Hosmer. From humble beginnings, Big Slick now raises over $2 million every year.

RDDHI founding members Kurt Rasmussen, Clay Dickey, and their families bowling with actor Adam Scott during the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend. — RDDHI founding members Kurt Rasmussen and Clay Dickey, along with their families, friends, and actor Adam Scott at the Big Slick bowling tournament.

RDDHI Sponsors Big Slick

Since the inception of Big Slick, RDDHI and founding members Clay Dickey and Kurt Rasmussen have sponsored the event. Clay’s personal experience with Children’s Mercy makes the cause a natural fit, and the fact that it’s a lot of fun certainly doesn’t hurt. RDDHI is a Gold Sponsor of Big Slick 2021.

RDDHI's collection of Big Slick memorabilia.

Big Slick strives to keep costs as low as possible to maximize the effectiveness of sponsorships and donations, allowing Children’s Mercy to provide cutting-edge therapies and innovative treatments from expert pediatric specialists. After a previous Big Slick event, a Children’s Mercy doctor reached out to Clay to demonstrate the value of the sponsorship: the dollars donated were directly used to fund a teenager’s life-saving blood transfusions and drug therapy.

Normally, Big Slick plays to packed-in crowds at Kauffman Stadium or the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. With the COVID-19 pandemic not fully subsided, the celebrities presented an original online production in 2021—the Big Slick Virtually Talented Show. Sponsors hosted small watch parties, including Clay and Kurt hosting a gathering for family, friends, and coworkers on Saturday, June 12th.

Celebrating RDDHI’s Administrative Professionals

By The RDDHI Team
· April 21st, 2021

Filed under
Firm News

Today is Administrative Professionals’ Day, and we want to take the opportunity to celebrate the outstanding administrative professionals here at Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei!

For the uninitiated, Administrative Professionals’ Day recognizes and appreciates the individuals who are most responsible for “making the world go round.” Their tireless contributions ensure that deadlines are met, work gets completed timely, and businesses succeed. It is through their dedication and commitment that business goals are realized.

Celebrating administrative professionals began with an official day of recognition in 1952. However, the National Secretaries Association (now the International Association of Administrative Professionals) had been promoting and recognizing this important work since its founding in 1942 in Topeka, Kansas. Since the beginning, the IAAP has been dedicated to helping and promoting its members in ever-changing times to meet the constantly changing demands of business.

Today, administrative professionals can be found in nearly any business environment performing a host of tasks. They are the people to greet visitors at the door and makes the first impression of the company. They coordinate meetings, travel arrangements, and other events to make sure everything flows smoothly.

In the legal profession, our admins file pleadings, proofread discovery, and field client inquiries. They maintain our attorneys’ calendars and schedules to ensure that attorneys are on time to their appointments and hearings. They essentially operate as extensions of the attorneys themselves in all aspects of a law firm.

But the worth of every administrative professional is so much more than their work in the office. They provide valuable insight to the workplace, and their experience with what makes businesses succeed is second to none. They are so much more than employees—they are key partners in a company’s overall success.

RDDHI’s Administrative Professionals Are Dedicated

At Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei, we recognize and appreciate the incredible work that our administrative professionals deliver. Amongst our admins, we have:

Four who have been with us more than 1 year
Eight who have been with us more than 5 years
Five who have been with us more than 10 years
Two who have been with us more than 15 years
And two who have been with us more than 20 years!

Their success is our success. So with the utmost gratitude from RDDHI, we thank each and every administrative professional for all that you do on this Administrative Professionals’ Day. Thank you!

Noah’s Bandage Project RDDHI Service Spotlight

By The RDDHI Team
· April 12th, 2021

Filed under
Community Service

Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei’s attorneys and staff are dedicated to providing focused service day in and day out to our clients across a broad range of industries. But many of our team members are dedicated to service beyond the office walls, going above and beyond to help make the world a better place.

RDDHI’s Accounts Payable Specialist Martha Strahler has one such cause she stands behind. As a volunteer with Noah’s Bandage Project, Martha raises funds and awareness for children’s cancer research and supports kids battling with debilitating cancer treatment.

About Noah’s Bandage Project

Noah Wilson and Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy, a supporter of Noah's Bandage Project.

Noah Wilson was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, at just six years old. Facing daily prods and pokes throughout constant testing and treatment, Noah wished simply for some fun bandages instead of the plain brown strips the hospital kept on hand. Surrounded by other children combatting cancer, all dressed in the same hospital gowns and showing the hair loss and other symptoms of cancer treatment, Noah believed that unique bandages would be seen as a flash of individuality and a badge of honor for the courageous kids battling their frightening diagnoses. With that, Noah began a campaign to collect fun bandages for other children in cancer treatment. To date, Noah’s Bandage Project has collected nearly 7 million bandages.

Though Noah’s initial cancer went into remission, the chemotherapy treatment caused a secondary case of leukemia, from which Noah passed away in 2015. The struggle demonstrated the need for more pediatric cancer research. Only 4% of national cancer research funding goes to pediatric cancer research, and Noah’s Bandage Project has raised over $1 million in an attempt to bridge that divide.

A Family Affair

Martha became involved with Noah’s Bandage Project thanks to her son, Paul Long, who serves as the president of the Noah’s Bandage Project board of directors.

Paul got to know Noah via a shared fandom of the Kansas City Royals. As one-half of the “Cat Suit Guys” duo, Paul was among the most visible fans during the Royals’ 2014 playoff run. Paul and his cat suit cohort John used their spotlight to help bring attention to younger fans, including Noah, giving them opportunities to attend playoff games and meet their favorite players.

Noah's parents Scott and Deb Wilson presenting a check from Noah's Bandage Project to Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City.

After Noah’s passing, Paul helped to establish Noah’s Bandage Project as an independent non-profit. Alongside her son, Martha has volunteered in support of the organization as they continue to raise funds for research and distribute fun bandages to hospitalized children. In addition to donating funds, Martha also helps to organize bandage drives and send collected bandages to children across the world. She’s even had the opportunity to introduce young patients to some of their Royals heroes, including Danny Duffy and Eric Hosmer.

Martha can also regularly be found volunteering at Noah’s Bandage Project events, such as the upcoming Noah’s Bandage Run 5K in Overland Park, Kansas, as well as golf tournaments and the Volley Llama pickleball tournament.

Noah’s Bandage Project always welcomes donations. You can also organize your own bandage drive to provide hope and fun for hospitalized children.

Justin Ijei Wins Diversity and Inclusion Award

By The RDDHI Team
· March 25th, 2021

A big congratulations to RDDHI attorney Justin Ijei! Justin won the 2021 Missouri Lawyers Media Diversity and Inclusion Award for his work leading Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and for promoting diversity within the legal practice.

With Justin at the helm, RDDHI has taken great strides to bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront at our firm. “I’m proud that my firm has made diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority for the firm,” says Justin. RDDHI aims to be a leader in addressing diversity challenges among small and mid-sized firms.

Having been the beneficiary of great mentorship early in his career, Justin aims to guide RDDHI’s team of young and diverse associates to success in the legal profession. Beyond supporting fellow attorneys from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, Justin also hopes to promote awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of law. “Having only diverse hiring practices is not enough.” Professional development and education, along with equitable career advancement opportunities, are key to building practices that reflect the clients and communities they serve.

About Justin Ijei

Justin joined Rasmussen Dickey Dioszeghy Henry Ijei in 2014, becoming a full partner in 2020. He has delivered outstanding results for RDDHI clients, including a Missouri Top Defense Verdict and other trial wins.

A graduate of St. Louis University School of Law and the University of Illinois, Justin was part of an Illini football team that went to the Rose Bowl, then a Dean’s Scholar at SLU Law. He has previously been named to the National Black Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40.

Justin will receive the Missouri Lawyers Media Diversity and Inclusion Award at a virtual ceremony on March 25th. We congratulate and thank Justin for his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both at RDDHI and in the legal practice as a whole. Congratulations, Justin!

Celebrating the Life of Thurgood Marshall

By Justin U. Ijei
· February 26th, 2021

To celebrate Black History Month, we’ve studied freedom suits and the Dred Scott case at St. Louis’ Old Courthouse and examined diversity issues among small and mid-sized firms. Today, RDDHI attorney and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee chair Justin Ijei reflects on the life and achievements of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black man to serve in the position.

Although Thurgood Marshall is well known as being the first Black Supreme Court Justice, Marshall was a stellar attorney whose work became a pillar for the civil rights movement. In fact, Marshall argued 32 cases in front of the Supreme Court, the most anyone has argued in history. Of those 32, his clients prevailed in 29.

Continue reading Celebrating the Life of Thurgood Marshall