We've had a busy but fun couple of days. On Saturday night, we made a visit to Lyle Higginbotham's 15th birthday party celebration. A few weeks ago, Lyle decided to invite all of his friends and family to an outdoor screening of "Darius Goes West," and he asked everyone to buy a DVD (or t-shirt) instead of giving him a present. The weather didn't exactly cooperate, so the movie showed in the garage, but everyone still had a lot of fun. Darius and most of the crew showed up late-night for an informal Q&A, after which we threw Lyle into the swimming pool (Harmon and Sam quickly followed). The night was a huge success, with over $500 raised. Happy birthday, Lyle, and thanks for your continuing dedication to DGW.
This morning, we got up bright and early and headed to Eaton Academy in Roswell, Georgia. This was a surprise visit to a group of middle and high schoolers all of whom watched DGW last week. They were so excited to see us, and even though we got hopelessly lost (Mapquest led us astray) and were quite late, we had an awesome time. Most of these students had written Darius letters, and some of them read them aloud. They asked great questions, and they made us feel so at home. Before we hit the road to head home, they fed us a huge lunch (lasagne and garlic bread), which was delicious. Special thanks to Fran for organizing our visit and shout outs to Jennifer, Brian, Matt, and all the other amazing teachers we met today.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
DGW LOVES CLARKE MIDDLE SCHOOL, TOO!!!
Following our trip last week to Coile Middle School, Darius and crew visited an assembly at Clarke Middle School yesterday. It was awesome!
The assembly was organized by Social Studies teacher Mr. Kraft and the newly formed "Know About It" club. (That's right--a "Know About It" club! These guys are really excited to get involved in the cause!) Student-made banners and posters welcomed the crew, and there was even a spot for Darius Goes West on Clarke Middle School's "Wall of Fame"!
After a question-and-answer session mc'd by students, crew members pledged their support to the "Know About It" club. Then, Darius rapped for the crowd. As the assembly ended, students swarmed Darius to get a word in with him or shake his hand.
Thanks so much to Dory MacMillan and the "Know About It" club for organizing, to Mr. Kraft for including Darius Goes West in his curriculum and inviting us to the assembly, and to the Clarke Middle School eighth grade for your energy and enthusiasm!
Seeing the dedication of students at Clarke and Coile Middle Schools this past week has been truly inspiring and uplifting. If our visits to these local schools are any indication, the future of Athens is in great hands!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
DGW LOVES COILE MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!
Last week, Coile Middle School's eighth graders watched Darius Goes West in class. As a surprise for the students, Ms. MacNeill invited the crew to an assembly in the auditorium. We went last Friday afternoon. It was a blast!
None of the students knew about the visit beforehand. With everyone sitting in the auditorium, the curtains to the stage parted, revealing Darius and crew lined up. The crowd went wild!
After a quick intro, the crew answered questions from the students. We fielded great questions, and the students got to find out a lot about Darius, the crew, the trip, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and disability rights. It was great!
Then, with two Coile students beat-boxing, Darius gave an impromptu rap. When he finished, the auditorium shook with applause! The crew stayed after, answering individual questions and signing autographs from adoring fans. Seeing the enthusiasm on the faces of those students was truly moving, and we all really had a blast.
Thank you so much, Coile and Ms. MacNeill!
None of the students knew about the visit beforehand. With everyone sitting in the auditorium, the curtains to the stage parted, revealing Darius and crew lined up. The crowd went wild!
After a quick intro, the crew answered questions from the students. We fielded great questions, and the students got to find out a lot about Darius, the crew, the trip, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and disability rights. It was great!
Then, with two Coile students beat-boxing, Darius gave an impromptu rap. When he finished, the auditorium shook with applause! The crew stayed after, answering individual questions and signing autographs from adoring fans. Seeing the enthusiasm on the faces of those students was truly moving, and we all really had a blast.
Thank you so much, Coile and Ms. MacNeill!
Monday, August 11, 2008
DARIUS GOES WEST DAY 2008
Two days...four packed screenings...a couple of standing ovations...a wild and crazy after party...and a megawatt grin on Darius's face from start to finish. DGW Day 2008--actually a two-day celebration--was AWESOME The first release of DGW "extras" was a huge hit. For those of you who missed them, one "extra"---of D's graduation---is on youtube now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwe1vw8rebQ Watch for others coming soon.
The after-party at Farm 255 was a blast! The Nappy Roots put on a great show, and Darius wowed the crowd with his own rapping skills. Best of all, we raised over $7,000 for DMD research by the end of the weekend!
DGW Day 2008 marked the official launch of our "One Million DVDs...One Year" campaign. Please help us spread the word by sending this link of "The Vehicle" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2yoOlicmww to everyone you know and encouraging them to buy one or more DVDs of DARIUS GOES WEST. Remember, for every $20 DVD purchased, $17 goes to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research, and $3 goes to making more DVDs. If we reach our goal of selling one million DVDs, we will raise a whopping $17 million for research!!! DVDs can be ordered by visiting our website at www.dariusgoeswest.org or by calling 1-888-8-DARIUS.
Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters for a memorable and magical weekend. Each year, our celebration gets bigger and better, and if we sell one million DVDs, DGW Day 2009 promises to be a blowout!
KNOW ABOUT IT!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
A SURPRISE VISIT TO DUBLIN - AND MORE!
This week, we drove 2.5 hours to Dublin, Georgia, where the movie was shown to a group of Wilkinson County high school students attending a "Manufacturing Dreams" summer camp at the Heart of Georgia Technical College. The campers didn't know we were coming, so we hung out in the parking lot for a while, eating subway sandwiches and waiting for the credits to roll. When Darius and the rest of the crew burst into the room, the campers almost fell out of their chairs! It was awesome!
At first, most of our audience was shy, but once we all got treated to huge ice cream sundaes, everyone started asking questions. Since the group was small, we were able to have a great discussion, and we were so glad we went. Thanks, Alissa Sypsa, for inviting us!
We also have some good news to share. Darius has "new" wheels! Our one-year loan from Dodge on the DGW Sprinter van recently expired, and they offered to sell it to us at a deep, deep discount. Since this is the only way Darius can get around, we begged a few of our donors for help, and now the van is ours!
More good news: many on the DGW crew have signed a one-year lease on an awesome house on Oak Grove Rd. This 5 bedroom/3 bath house is surrounded by 15 acres and will be the perfect setting for us to work together on our "One million DVDs in one year" initiative.
We're busy gearing up for DGW Day (July 19) and will be sending out detailed information on this special event soon. Hope to see you there!
KNOW ABOUT IT!
At first, most of our audience was shy, but once we all got treated to huge ice cream sundaes, everyone started asking questions. Since the group was small, we were able to have a great discussion, and we were so glad we went. Thanks, Alissa Sypsa, for inviting us!
We also have some good news to share. Darius has "new" wheels! Our one-year loan from Dodge on the DGW Sprinter van recently expired, and they offered to sell it to us at a deep, deep discount. Since this is the only way Darius can get around, we begged a few of our donors for help, and now the van is ours!
More good news: many on the DGW crew have signed a one-year lease on an awesome house on Oak Grove Rd. This 5 bedroom/3 bath house is surrounded by 15 acres and will be the perfect setting for us to work together on our "One million DVDs in one year" initiative.
We're busy gearing up for DGW Day (July 19) and will be sending out detailed information on this special event soon. Hope to see you there!
KNOW ABOUT IT!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
CONGRATS TO LOGAN!
Last Thursday, Logan received his Master's degree (Ed.M) from Harvard University's "Technology, Innotivation, & Education" program. J.K. Rowling was the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremonies! If you're a big Harry Potter fan, here's a link to her speech:
http://www.news.harvard.edu
Logan and two of his fellow grads, Chris Spence (designer of the new DGW website) and Marisa Segel are now in the process of launching their own educational media company. It's called--are you ready for this--Goslabi Productions! DGW will be one of its first clients as it makes plans to fulfill its ambitious new "Sell one million DVDs in one year" campaign.
We have lots of other great news to share with you...
* We've secured Nappy Roots, an awesome hip-hop band out of Atlanta, to play at the DARIUS GOES WEST Day after-party on Saturday, July 19, at Farm 255. Exact details/times for all events will be announced soon, but mark your calendar now and plan to party with us!
* DGW will soon be close captioned, thanks to the generosity of the Disability Resource Center at UGA! We've had several requests for this edition of our movie, but we didn't have the funds to make it happen. Needless to say, we are thrilled! Kudos to Leigh Jagor, for instigating this endeavor!
* DGW is now a course at UGA! Jerry Hale, Ph.D., will be teaching a course in the fall called "Darius Goes West: A Case Study in Internpersonal Communication." Jerry is a huge supporter of ours and head of UGA's Department of Speech Communication.
* Darius opened his first bank account this week using several checks he had received from friends, family and DGW supporters for graduation. Thanks, Athens First, for rolling out the red carpet for him during this transaction and giving him a crash course on how to handle a checking account.
* Traveling journalist Cindy Freeman was recently in Athens as part of her journey to discover interesting and inspiring Americans. She interviewed Darius and his mom while in town. Check out her blog about Big Daddy at www.seegirlgo.com. Her segment on DGW should be up and running soon.
Happy summer everyone!
Know about it!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
WYOMING...WOW!
Eight of us have just returned from an amazing five days/four nights in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Logan had been invited to be the keynote speaker at the Jackson Hole Community School graduation. Our hostess and HUGE DGW supporter, Sophie Craighead, rolled out the red carpet for us BIG time...
We arrived in Jackson Hole on Tuesday, where Sophie met us at the tiny but picturesque airport. Unfortunately, Darius was not able to make this trip because the planes that fly into Jackson Hole are too small to be accessible. Besides, he was perfectly happy staying home and recuperating from his own graduation. Sophie had rented two cars for us, and we followed her into town, where she had rented us six hotel rooms at the Trapper Inn. This was an awesome place to stay, because it was only a block from Jackson Square, which has that "Old West" feel and is chock full of restaurants, shops, and bars. Our hotel was also surrounded by magnificent mountains.
After having lunch with Sophie, most of us took naps, then we had a long meeting to discuss our new goal of selling one million DVDs in one year. In fact, we had strategy meetings almost every day while in Jackson Hole, so expect some announcements soon. That night, we walked into town and had an incredible dinner at The Blue Lion. They had the best rack of lamb any of us had ever tasted!
On Wednesday, Sophie arranged for all of us to go whitewater rafting. It was a blast! The weather was still chilly out in Wyoming, and the water was even colder, so we had to wear wet suits. That didn't stop any of us from jumping in at the end of the trip. Exhilirating! That evening, we drove out to Kelly, WY to the Craighead's incredibly beautiful home for dinner, hosted by Sophie and husband Derek, who is a world-renown naturalist. After appetizers on the patio, framed by the Tetons, we were treated to an awesome smorgasbord: buffalo burgers, black angus hot dogs, elk steaks, potato salad, beans, tossed salad, etc. Dessert was an incredibly yummy banana cream pie. We were sooooo full. We hung out at the Craighead's playing foosball and Guitar Hero with Sophie and Derek's awesome kids, Scotty and Sage. The Craigheads had invited a few friends to join us for dinner. Two of the youngest guests, Riley and Chase George, presented Logan with envelopes containing personal donations (from their allowances) to Charley's Fund. They were so adorable, and we were so touched and impressed by their generosity!
Our screening was at the beautiful Community Arts Center theater on Thursday evening, where the house was packed with Jackson Hole Community School students and their families and friends. We got a standing ovation! Before the Q&A started, we brought Sophie to the stage and presented her with a framed photo of us whitewater rafting as a (very small) token of our (huge) appreciation for her hospitality. Logan also showed "The Vehicle" and told the audience about our new goal: to sell 1 million DVDs in one year.
The screening was immediately followed by a "Celebrate Your Life" diinner party that was so much fun. We sold LOTS of DVDs, and everyone there was so warm and friendly. After that, we walked to a nearby brew pub before heading to bed.
Friday evening was graduation, where Logan did a great job giving the keynote speech. There were only nine graduating seniors at this small but innovative school, so the ceremony felt very personal. We cheered especially loud when Scotty Craighead received his diploma. The class of 2008 presented us with donations they had collected among themselves for Charley's Fund...a grand sum of $69.69. LOL. The graduation ceremony was followed by a really nice reception. From there, we headed into Teton Village, where new DGW supporter Julie Choi and her husband treated us to an amazing, multi-course dinner at the Japanese restaurant they own. Yes, we had lots of sushi...and, of course, goslabi!
Friday morning, we flew home. It was so difficult to say goodbye to everyone in Jackson Hole and to leave this beautiful town. But we have incredible memories that will definitely last a lifetime.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
We arrived in Jackson Hole on Tuesday, where Sophie met us at the tiny but picturesque airport. Unfortunately, Darius was not able to make this trip because the planes that fly into Jackson Hole are too small to be accessible. Besides, he was perfectly happy staying home and recuperating from his own graduation. Sophie had rented two cars for us, and we followed her into town, where she had rented us six hotel rooms at the Trapper Inn. This was an awesome place to stay, because it was only a block from Jackson Square, which has that "Old West" feel and is chock full of restaurants, shops, and bars. Our hotel was also surrounded by magnificent mountains.
After having lunch with Sophie, most of us took naps, then we had a long meeting to discuss our new goal of selling one million DVDs in one year. In fact, we had strategy meetings almost every day while in Jackson Hole, so expect some announcements soon. That night, we walked into town and had an incredible dinner at The Blue Lion. They had the best rack of lamb any of us had ever tasted!
On Wednesday, Sophie arranged for all of us to go whitewater rafting. It was a blast! The weather was still chilly out in Wyoming, and the water was even colder, so we had to wear wet suits. That didn't stop any of us from jumping in at the end of the trip. Exhilirating! That evening, we drove out to Kelly, WY to the Craighead's incredibly beautiful home for dinner, hosted by Sophie and husband Derek, who is a world-renown naturalist. After appetizers on the patio, framed by the Tetons, we were treated to an awesome smorgasbord: buffalo burgers, black angus hot dogs, elk steaks, potato salad, beans, tossed salad, etc. Dessert was an incredibly yummy banana cream pie. We were sooooo full. We hung out at the Craighead's playing foosball and Guitar Hero with Sophie and Derek's awesome kids, Scotty and Sage. The Craigheads had invited a few friends to join us for dinner. Two of the youngest guests, Riley and Chase George, presented Logan with envelopes containing personal donations (from their allowances) to Charley's Fund. They were so adorable, and we were so touched and impressed by their generosity!
Our screening was at the beautiful Community Arts Center theater on Thursday evening, where the house was packed with Jackson Hole Community School students and their families and friends. We got a standing ovation! Before the Q&A started, we brought Sophie to the stage and presented her with a framed photo of us whitewater rafting as a (very small) token of our (huge) appreciation for her hospitality. Logan also showed "The Vehicle" and told the audience about our new goal: to sell 1 million DVDs in one year.
The screening was immediately followed by a "Celebrate Your Life" diinner party that was so much fun. We sold LOTS of DVDs, and everyone there was so warm and friendly. After that, we walked to a nearby brew pub before heading to bed.
Friday evening was graduation, where Logan did a great job giving the keynote speech. There were only nine graduating seniors at this small but innovative school, so the ceremony felt very personal. We cheered especially loud when Scotty Craighead received his diploma. The class of 2008 presented us with donations they had collected among themselves for Charley's Fund...a grand sum of $69.69. LOL. The graduation ceremony was followed by a really nice reception. From there, we headed into Teton Village, where new DGW supporter Julie Choi and her husband treated us to an amazing, multi-course dinner at the Japanese restaurant they own. Yes, we had lots of sushi...and, of course, goslabi!
Friday morning, we flew home. It was so difficult to say goodbye to everyone in Jackson Hole and to leave this beautiful town. But we have incredible memories that will definitely last a lifetime.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
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