September 27, 2007
Darius is 18 today! The crew is taking him (and his family) to dinner tonight to celebrate--at Outback Steakhouse (his choice). Today, at Clarke Central High School, he was summoned to the teacher's lounge, where he was surprised with cake and ice cream. Sweet! Someone took pictures, so when we get them, we'll post them.
Other birthdays celebrated this week: DGW assistant editor, Jarrard Cole (on Wednesday) and Shirtworks twin sisters Kathy and Jackie (on Friday). All three are DGW 13th crew members, and we wouldn't be where we are today without their dedication and support.
Tomorrow, 12 of us (7 crew members, Darius, and five friends) head to Birmingham, Alabama for the Sidewalk Film Festival. Cross your fingers for us...we'd love a 21st laurel leave!
D's mom, Jamie, signed papers for her new house this week. We'll be in touch with everyone soon regarding putting on an addition.
Our "run for the Oscars" continues, and in that regard, check THIS awesome article out, written by Kim Voyner at Cinematical.com.
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/09/26/film-clips-whats-up-docs/
KNOW ABOUT IT!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A TRIPLE PLAY OF AWESOME NEWS
September 16, 2007
When it rains, it pours! We have three announcements to make, and all are equally exciting...
* DELTA SPOTLIGHTS DARIUS! Delta Airlines has created a giant poster, entitled "Your Words, Our Image," that will go in every Delta employee break room. Its powerful message reads: "You are in a unique position to shape the public image of people with disabilities. Your words can create a sensitive, negative image or a straightforward, positive view of people with disabilities." The poster then lists 21 "Do say" and "Don't say" tips. And guess who's picture is on the poster? Sitting front and center, and surrounded by a handful of Delta employees, including our favorite, David Martin, is DARIUS WEEMS...in his pimped out chair! We are so proud to be a part of this. Thanks, Delta!
* DARIUS IS A HERO! Darius has just been named a recipient of the prestigious Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes! Each year, the Barron Prize honors ten outstanding young people nationwide. The winners, ages 8 to 18, are selected for "demonstrating leadership, courage and unselfishness to make the world a better place." You can check out the Barron Prize at www.barronprize.org. Thank you so much to Jenny Manders, who nominated D for this prize last spring, and to Mark Johnson and Martin Bashir, who sent letters of recommendation.
* DARIS GOES HOME! Hope you're sitting down for this one, cause it's BIG! An anonymous donor has given the Darius Goes West project a donation of $30,000 so that we could purchase Darius's family a house! Originally, this donor wanted to pay to have an accessible shower put in for Darius, but we told her that since his mom was renting, this wasn't economically feasible. Meanwhile, Daniel Epting stumbled upon a great house for Jamie, Darius, and Maraneesha (D's sister) while doing some work with the Athens Land Trust, so the donor gave us a sizable downpayment that has enabled the Weems family to be homeowners! Before moving in, Daniel and other local professionals will spend a weekend widening doors and making the bathroom totally wheelchair accessible.
This house is small (just one bedroom), so we have plans to add a second bedroom ASAP. Long-time DGW supporter Margo Barbakow (Santa Barbara) has sent a nice donation to help cover this, and another anonymous donor has provided most of the rest of what we should need to reach this goal. Of course, to keep these expenses to a minimum, we will need some of our "fans" to roll up their sleeves and help us get this addition built. If you have skills you think we can use, if you know someone in the building supply business willing to donate supplies we need, or you want to send a donation to this cause, please send an e-mail to knowaboutit@gmail.com.
Here's to good news, something we never get tired of ...and are ALWAYS grateful for!
Know about it!
When it rains, it pours! We have three announcements to make, and all are equally exciting...
* DELTA SPOTLIGHTS DARIUS! Delta Airlines has created a giant poster, entitled "Your Words, Our Image," that will go in every Delta employee break room. Its powerful message reads: "You are in a unique position to shape the public image of people with disabilities. Your words can create a sensitive, negative image or a straightforward, positive view of people with disabilities." The poster then lists 21 "Do say" and "Don't say" tips. And guess who's picture is on the poster? Sitting front and center, and surrounded by a handful of Delta employees, including our favorite, David Martin, is DARIUS WEEMS...in his pimped out chair! We are so proud to be a part of this. Thanks, Delta!
* DARIUS IS A HERO! Darius has just been named a recipient of the prestigious Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes! Each year, the Barron Prize honors ten outstanding young people nationwide. The winners, ages 8 to 18, are selected for "demonstrating leadership, courage and unselfishness to make the world a better place." You can check out the Barron Prize at www.barronprize.org. Thank you so much to Jenny Manders, who nominated D for this prize last spring, and to Mark Johnson and Martin Bashir, who sent letters of recommendation.
* DARIS GOES HOME! Hope you're sitting down for this one, cause it's BIG! An anonymous donor has given the Darius Goes West project a donation of $30,000 so that we could purchase Darius's family a house! Originally, this donor wanted to pay to have an accessible shower put in for Darius, but we told her that since his mom was renting, this wasn't economically feasible. Meanwhile, Daniel Epting stumbled upon a great house for Jamie, Darius, and Maraneesha (D's sister) while doing some work with the Athens Land Trust, so the donor gave us a sizable downpayment that has enabled the Weems family to be homeowners! Before moving in, Daniel and other local professionals will spend a weekend widening doors and making the bathroom totally wheelchair accessible.
This house is small (just one bedroom), so we have plans to add a second bedroom ASAP. Long-time DGW supporter Margo Barbakow (Santa Barbara) has sent a nice donation to help cover this, and another anonymous donor has provided most of the rest of what we should need to reach this goal. Of course, to keep these expenses to a minimum, we will need some of our "fans" to roll up their sleeves and help us get this addition built. If you have skills you think we can use, if you know someone in the building supply business willing to donate supplies we need, or you want to send a donation to this cause, please send an e-mail to knowaboutit@gmail.com.
Here's to good news, something we never get tired of ...and are ALWAYS grateful for!
Know about it!
Monday, September 10, 2007
DGW AT A THEATER NEAR YOU?
September 10, 2007
As part of the Oscar nomination qualification process (we know it's a huge long shot, but we're going for it anyway), Darius Goes West must show in 14 cities for three consecutive days, twice a day, before November 15. We have hired a firm to handle this for us (so we were not able to choose the cities), and here's the schedule:
NORTH HAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS
September 28 – 30
Pleasant Street Theatre
Check local newspaper listings to verify dates and get show times.
WATERVILLE, MAINE
October 2 – 4
Railroad Square Cinema
Visit www.railroadsquarecinema.com to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
October 8 – 10
Fine Arts Theatre
Visit www.fineartstheatre.com/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
.
LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
October 9 – 11
Campus Lewisburg
Visit www.campustheatre.org/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
LITCHFIELD, CONNECTICUT
October 10 – 12
Bantam Cinema
Visit www.bantamcinema.com/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI
October 23 – 25
Moxie Cinema
3:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Visit www.moxiecinema.com to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
October 23 – 25
Riverview Theater
Visit www.riverviewtheater.com to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT
October 29 – 31
Palace Burlington
Check local newspaper listings to verify dates and get show times.
GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
October 30 – November 1
Majestic Gettysburg
Visit www.gettysburgmajestic.org/home/index.dot to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
.
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
October 30 – November 1
Carolina Durham
1:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Visit http://www.carolinatheatre.org/ to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
.
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
October 31 – November 2
Lyric Cinema
3:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Visit www.lyriccinemacafe.com to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
November 2 – 4
Key Cinemas Indianapolis
Visit http://www.keycinemas.com/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
November 5 – 7
Nickelodeon Theatre
Noon and 1:30 PM
Visit http://www.nickelodeon.org/ to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
November 6 – 8
Rag Tag Cinema
2:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Visit http://www.ragtagfilm.com/ to verify dates, show times, and for more information
If you live in or near these cities, please go see the movie, and take lots of friends and family with you! If you have relatives and friends who live in these cities, tell them to go see the movie. PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!
Other news…
Logan left for Harvard last Friday and is very happy there. Orientation is today; classes start a week from today. Darius and the crew wish him well!
It has come to our attention that when you google "Darius Goes West," there's a nasty and vulgar description of our site that pops up first on the list…AND that links to our legitimate website. We are in the process of trying to contact Google to see what can be done to remove this. Needless to say, we are very upset about this and hope to track down the hacker who did it.
Know about it!
As part of the Oscar nomination qualification process (we know it's a huge long shot, but we're going for it anyway), Darius Goes West must show in 14 cities for three consecutive days, twice a day, before November 15. We have hired a firm to handle this for us (so we were not able to choose the cities), and here's the schedule:
NORTH HAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS
September 28 – 30
Pleasant Street Theatre
Check local newspaper listings to verify dates and get show times.
WATERVILLE, MAINE
October 2 – 4
Railroad Square Cinema
Visit www.railroadsquarecinema.com to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
October 8 – 10
Fine Arts Theatre
Visit www.fineartstheatre.com/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
.
LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
October 9 – 11
Campus Lewisburg
Visit www.campustheatre.org/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
LITCHFIELD, CONNECTICUT
October 10 – 12
Bantam Cinema
Visit www.bantamcinema.com/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI
October 23 – 25
Moxie Cinema
3:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Visit www.moxiecinema.com to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
October 23 – 25
Riverview Theater
Visit www.riverviewtheater.com to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT
October 29 – 31
Palace Burlington
Check local newspaper listings to verify dates and get show times.
GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
October 30 – November 1
Majestic Gettysburg
Visit www.gettysburgmajestic.org/home/index.dot to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
.
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
October 30 – November 1
Carolina Durham
1:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Visit http://www.carolinatheatre.org/ to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
.
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
October 31 – November 2
Lyric Cinema
3:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Visit www.lyriccinemacafe.com to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
November 2 – 4
Key Cinemas Indianapolis
Visit http://www.keycinemas.com/ to verify dates, get show times, and for more information.
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
November 5 – 7
Nickelodeon Theatre
Noon and 1:30 PM
Visit http://www.nickelodeon.org/ to verify dates, show times, and for more information.
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
November 6 – 8
Rag Tag Cinema
2:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Visit http://www.ragtagfilm.com/ to verify dates, show times, and for more information
If you live in or near these cities, please go see the movie, and take lots of friends and family with you! If you have relatives and friends who live in these cities, tell them to go see the movie. PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!
Other news…
Logan left for Harvard last Friday and is very happy there. Orientation is today; classes start a week from today. Darius and the crew wish him well!
It has come to our attention that when you google "Darius Goes West," there's a nasty and vulgar description of our site that pops up first on the list…AND that links to our legitimate website. We are in the process of trying to contact Google to see what can be done to remove this. Needless to say, we are very upset about this and hope to track down the hacker who did it.
Know about it!
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