March 26, 2008
Darius gets tons of fan e-mails, and we all love that. He can’t always respond, but he reads them all...sometimes over and over again, so thanks to everyone who’s been writing to him. And please keep ’em coming!
Just today, he got this special note from a student who saw DGW at Fayerweather Street School while we were in Boston last week...
Hey, darius!
i just saw your video at the showing of it at Fayerweather street school, and i have to say i am pretty darn speechless. you seem to have a great love for life, and i want you to know i respect you completely for that. I also have been doing a lot of research of DMD, and ive learned a lot about it, and i want to help get funding to find a cure. It is because of you that i have found a passion for learning about the disease.
thank you so much for sharing your amazing journey,
michaela
Fan mail like this is especially meaningful to us--not only because someone took the time to write it, but because it tells us we are doing our job: raising awareness of DMD and inspiring students to help us raise funds for a cure.
Speaking of Fayerweather Street School, while there, a young fan presented Darius with a hand-written card she had made him. On the outside, it said, "Open to see a happy letter;" on the inside, it said...
Dear Darius,
You are brave and cool! You are independent and everyone loves you about that. You are a person I’d never forget. You are cool and brave.
Love your biggest fan,
Cheyenne
Darius was so touched by this card that he thanked Cheyenne personally during the Q&A and said he planned to hold on to this letter forever. Ahhhhh. (We’ve just posted a picture of Cheyenne and other photos from this screening, so check them out!)
We’ll close this blog with some awesome news we got today. We won the Audience Choice Award at the East Lansing Film Festival (that’s where Sam and Collin went a couple of weeks ago). Since we haven’t been to a film festival in a while, we almost forgot how great winning feels.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY - WOW!
March 25, 2008
Yesterday afternoon, we drove 3.5 hours to Rock Hill, SC to do a screening at Winthrop University. Megan Cox and the Council for Exceptional Children had invited us, and she thought maybe 20-30 people would be there. We were pleasantly surprised to arrive and find a crowd of about 80, and what an enthusiastic crowd they were!
Aside from giving us a standing ovation, this audience may have broken the record for the most questions asked. Many were ones we’d never heard before, and we always love that. Darius had his game on and was cracking jokes (as were Sam, Collin, and Harmon), and the audience was loving it.
Afterwards, in the lobby, folks bought $485 worth of DVDs and DGW merchandise and gave $40 in outright donations to Charley’s Fund! Darius loved hanging with his new fans, especially the female ones (check out the pictures). We also enjoyed seeing Leslie Trier’s family there....her mom Patsy, her aunt Susan, and her sister, Betsy. (Leslie is the director of Project START, formerly known as Project REACH, where Logan first met Darius).
Once we’d packed everything up, Betsy took us to the White Horse restaurant for an awesome dinner (Leslie had promised to pick up the tab). This was an unexpected but awesome surprise!
It was a long drive home, and we didn’t tuck Big Daddy in until after 2:00 AM, but Winthrop was definitely worth the trip. In fact, as we were leaving, there was talk of inviting us back next fall.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
Yesterday afternoon, we drove 3.5 hours to Rock Hill, SC to do a screening at Winthrop University. Megan Cox and the Council for Exceptional Children had invited us, and she thought maybe 20-30 people would be there. We were pleasantly surprised to arrive and find a crowd of about 80, and what an enthusiastic crowd they were!
Aside from giving us a standing ovation, this audience may have broken the record for the most questions asked. Many were ones we’d never heard before, and we always love that. Darius had his game on and was cracking jokes (as were Sam, Collin, and Harmon), and the audience was loving it.
Afterwards, in the lobby, folks bought $485 worth of DVDs and DGW merchandise and gave $40 in outright donations to Charley’s Fund! Darius loved hanging with his new fans, especially the female ones (check out the pictures). We also enjoyed seeing Leslie Trier’s family there....her mom Patsy, her aunt Susan, and her sister, Betsy. (Leslie is the director of Project START, formerly known as Project REACH, where Logan first met Darius).
Once we’d packed everything up, Betsy took us to the White Horse restaurant for an awesome dinner (Leslie had promised to pick up the tab). This was an unexpected but awesome surprise!
It was a long drive home, and we didn’t tuck Big Daddy in until after 2:00 AM, but Winthrop was definitely worth the trip. In fact, as we were leaving, there was talk of inviting us back next fall.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
BACK FROM BOSTON
March 22, 2008
We returned from Boston late last night. It took us 21 hours to get home, which was way better than the 23 hours it took us to get there. It will take us a couple of days to catch up on sleep, something we didn’t get too much of while in Bean Town. But we had a blast...
Jason Hees, Alison Firor (Logan’s co-editor), Barbara (Logan and Ben’s mom), and 13th crew member Justin Bell made the looonnng drive to Cambridge, MA, where we were greeted by cold weather and a few snow showers! We arrived at our hotel at 2:00 AM on Tuesday and couldn’t wait to fall into the comfy beds at the Hyatt Regency. Thank you, Shawn Tuttle, at Harvard for providing us with awesome accommodations!
Our screening at Harvard was early Tuesday evening. Before that, we cruised the campus, strolled through Harvard yard, and had lunch with some of Logan’s friends, including Chris Spence, who is the genius behind our new (coming soon) DGW website. The screening was at 5:30, and there was a great crowd (about 165 people or so). One of Logan’s favorite professors (David Dockterman) introduced the film. Afterwards, we got a standing ovation and had a great Q&A. As expected, we were asked many scientific questions, so we were grateful to have Charley’s Fund director of research and strategic planning, George Vella, Ph.D., participate in the Q&A. The best news: we sold over $1,100 worth of DVDs and DGW merchandise after the screening! From there, Shawn treated us all to an awesome dinner at Legal Seafood, where we had the best clam chowder! She also gave us all gift bags, so Darius is now sporting a Harvard cap!
Did we mention that when the film was introduced there was talk of looking into giving Darius an honorary degree to Harvard? How cool would that be?
On Wednesday, we had a free day, but the weather was rainy and cold, so we slept in. In the afternoon, we took Darius into Boston and had a late lunch at an Irish pub, then explored the aquarium. Wednesday night, we ate at this cool restaurant called Fire and Ice in Cambridge, where you pile your choice of raw meats and vegetables into a big bowl, then have it cooked before your eyes on some hot grills. It was all-you-can-eat, and it was delicious. After that, Logan had to leave us to write a paper, but the rest of us hung out with some of his friends and had a great time.
Thursday we had a screening at Fayerweather Street School. From the second we walked into this place, we knew it was going to be a great audience. The classrooms were very open, and almost every inch of wall space was filled with wonderful artwork and cool projects the students were working on. Jason even managed to ’break into" the music room and show off his drumming skills after the screening. Scot Oxholm (math and film studies teacher) was our host with the most, and he managed to attract an audience of about 75 (a combination of students and parents). They gave us a really long standing ovation afterwards and asked tons of great questions. They also bought lots of DVDs and DGW merchandise. That, combined with the $5 donation each person made to see the film, brought the night’s total to around $1,200!
We decided to leave for home after that screening so we would have the weekend to recuperate and enjoy Easter.
A few hours before leaving for Boston, we had a great Q&A at Athens First United Methodist Church with their youth group. There was a huge crowd! They had watched the first half of the movie beforehand and finished it before Darius and some of the guys arrived. They fed us pizza, asked great questions, and lifted everyone’s spirits with a friendship circle and a prayer for Darius. Afterwards, we collected $32 in donations for Charley’s Fund and sold $380 worth of DGW merchandise. Thank you, Amy Valdez Barker, for this wonderful invitation. We always love a hometown crowd!
Overall, in terms of fundraising, it’s been a great week!
On Monday, many of us head up to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC for a screening hosted by the Council for Exceptional Children. Check out all the new pictures we’ve posted from our latest events.
Know about it!
We returned from Boston late last night. It took us 21 hours to get home, which was way better than the 23 hours it took us to get there. It will take us a couple of days to catch up on sleep, something we didn’t get too much of while in Bean Town. But we had a blast...
Jason Hees, Alison Firor (Logan’s co-editor), Barbara (Logan and Ben’s mom), and 13th crew member Justin Bell made the looonnng drive to Cambridge, MA, where we were greeted by cold weather and a few snow showers! We arrived at our hotel at 2:00 AM on Tuesday and couldn’t wait to fall into the comfy beds at the Hyatt Regency. Thank you, Shawn Tuttle, at Harvard for providing us with awesome accommodations!
Our screening at Harvard was early Tuesday evening. Before that, we cruised the campus, strolled through Harvard yard, and had lunch with some of Logan’s friends, including Chris Spence, who is the genius behind our new (coming soon) DGW website. The screening was at 5:30, and there was a great crowd (about 165 people or so). One of Logan’s favorite professors (David Dockterman) introduced the film. Afterwards, we got a standing ovation and had a great Q&A. As expected, we were asked many scientific questions, so we were grateful to have Charley’s Fund director of research and strategic planning, George Vella, Ph.D., participate in the Q&A. The best news: we sold over $1,100 worth of DVDs and DGW merchandise after the screening! From there, Shawn treated us all to an awesome dinner at Legal Seafood, where we had the best clam chowder! She also gave us all gift bags, so Darius is now sporting a Harvard cap!
Did we mention that when the film was introduced there was talk of looking into giving Darius an honorary degree to Harvard? How cool would that be?
On Wednesday, we had a free day, but the weather was rainy and cold, so we slept in. In the afternoon, we took Darius into Boston and had a late lunch at an Irish pub, then explored the aquarium. Wednesday night, we ate at this cool restaurant called Fire and Ice in Cambridge, where you pile your choice of raw meats and vegetables into a big bowl, then have it cooked before your eyes on some hot grills. It was all-you-can-eat, and it was delicious. After that, Logan had to leave us to write a paper, but the rest of us hung out with some of his friends and had a great time.
Thursday we had a screening at Fayerweather Street School. From the second we walked into this place, we knew it was going to be a great audience. The classrooms were very open, and almost every inch of wall space was filled with wonderful artwork and cool projects the students were working on. Jason even managed to ’break into" the music room and show off his drumming skills after the screening. Scot Oxholm (math and film studies teacher) was our host with the most, and he managed to attract an audience of about 75 (a combination of students and parents). They gave us a really long standing ovation afterwards and asked tons of great questions. They also bought lots of DVDs and DGW merchandise. That, combined with the $5 donation each person made to see the film, brought the night’s total to around $1,200!
We decided to leave for home after that screening so we would have the weekend to recuperate and enjoy Easter.
A few hours before leaving for Boston, we had a great Q&A at Athens First United Methodist Church with their youth group. There was a huge crowd! They had watched the first half of the movie beforehand and finished it before Darius and some of the guys arrived. They fed us pizza, asked great questions, and lifted everyone’s spirits with a friendship circle and a prayer for Darius. Afterwards, we collected $32 in donations for Charley’s Fund and sold $380 worth of DGW merchandise. Thank you, Amy Valdez Barker, for this wonderful invitation. We always love a hometown crowd!
Overall, in terms of fundraising, it’s been a great week!
On Monday, many of us head up to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC for a screening hosted by the Council for Exceptional Children. Check out all the new pictures we’ve posted from our latest events.
Know about it!
Friday, March 14, 2008
"BACK IN THE SADDLE"
March 14, 2008
We are still raw with grief from the loss of Eve Carson and continue to honor her memory in many ways...
* There is a memorial service at UNC-Chapel Hill next Tuesday, and many from Athens (and the DGW crew) will attend. Shirtworks (provider of all DGW shirts) have created and donated 50 special shirts for Athenians to wear to this service, and we are so grateful for their (never-ending) kindness. These red shirts have a picture of Eve on the front; on the back is one of her favorite quotes (as listed on her Facebook page):
"Not for 5 minutes... will I be kept from the wonder..."
-- Binx Bollings
* Logan has volunteered to create a website about Eve, and he’s getting help from DGW "13th crew member" and fellow Harvard student, Chris Spence. Many of Eve’s friends are sending Logan material for this loving tribute.
* Another huge DGW supporter, Geri Bidwell, who lives in Santa Barbara, CA, ordered 50 DVDs of our film and plans to send them out to 50 college student body presidents along with a note about Eve and how supportive she was of DGW. Geri will encourage these college leaders to host screenings on their campus like Eve did at UNC-Chapel Hill.
The crew honors Eve by continuing our efforts to find a cure for DMD, and we’ve been busy...
* Last Sunday morning, eight of us traveled to Atlanta for an early morning Q&A at the Bregman Conference. The audience was filled with young adults who had special needs and who "strive to thrive" (the theme of this year’s conference). We couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic audience. Normally at a Q&A, when we ask if anyone has questions, it takes a while for people to raise their hands. At this event, every hand in the room flew up! The microphone was passed around, and Darius was asked the cutest questions: "Do you work out?" "Do you have a girlfirend?" "What’s your favorite food?" With every response from Darius or the crew, there was applause, and when we said goodbye, we got a thunderous standing ovation!
* On Tuesday/Wednesday, Jason and Daniel flew to Pittsburgh for a Q&A at the Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center state conference. This was another amazing crowd who asked great questions and gave Daniel and Jason an incredibly warm welcome. Afterwards, there was a party with karaoke, and Daniel and Jason did a duet of "Whoop, There It Is." Too bad we don’t have a videotape of that. It would get a ton of hits on youtube.com
* On Friday morning, Collin and Sam flew to East Lansing, Michigan for the East Lansing Film Festival. DGW screens there tomorrow afternoon. They’re having a blast in this college town, where tomorrow is a huge St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Hmmm....hope the guys make it to the screening! Funny story about this festival: Last year, we applied to it and got rejected. This year, they wrote and invited us to submit our film. When we told them we’d been rejected last year, they said they had a new selection committee this year and had heard a lot of good things about DGW. Not only were we accepted, but they agreed to host two crew members. Sweet!
* On Sunday evening, we’ve been invited to have dinner and host a Q&A with the youth group at First United Methodist Church. We’re looking forward to that and hope we get a good turn out.
* Fiinally, late Sunday night (actually about 2:00 AM Monday), Jason, Allison, Barbara,, and 13th crew member Justin Bell will load Darius in the van and head to Boston. We have a Harvard-wide screening on Tuesday, then a high school screening on Thursday at Fayerweather St. School. If you have friends or family in the Boston area, please send them our way!
This week marked the anniversary of the loss of Mario Robinson, Darius’s beloved older brother. On Thursday, Sam and Daniel took Darius, his mom, and other family members to visit Mario’s grave. This was the first time Darius had been there since Mario’s funderal, and it meant a lot for him to be able to pay tribute to him.
Know about it!
We are still raw with grief from the loss of Eve Carson and continue to honor her memory in many ways...
* There is a memorial service at UNC-Chapel Hill next Tuesday, and many from Athens (and the DGW crew) will attend. Shirtworks (provider of all DGW shirts) have created and donated 50 special shirts for Athenians to wear to this service, and we are so grateful for their (never-ending) kindness. These red shirts have a picture of Eve on the front; on the back is one of her favorite quotes (as listed on her Facebook page):
"Not for 5 minutes... will I be kept from the wonder..."
-- Binx Bollings
* Logan has volunteered to create a website about Eve, and he’s getting help from DGW "13th crew member" and fellow Harvard student, Chris Spence. Many of Eve’s friends are sending Logan material for this loving tribute.
* Another huge DGW supporter, Geri Bidwell, who lives in Santa Barbara, CA, ordered 50 DVDs of our film and plans to send them out to 50 college student body presidents along with a note about Eve and how supportive she was of DGW. Geri will encourage these college leaders to host screenings on their campus like Eve did at UNC-Chapel Hill.
The crew honors Eve by continuing our efforts to find a cure for DMD, and we’ve been busy...
* Last Sunday morning, eight of us traveled to Atlanta for an early morning Q&A at the Bregman Conference. The audience was filled with young adults who had special needs and who "strive to thrive" (the theme of this year’s conference). We couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic audience. Normally at a Q&A, when we ask if anyone has questions, it takes a while for people to raise their hands. At this event, every hand in the room flew up! The microphone was passed around, and Darius was asked the cutest questions: "Do you work out?" "Do you have a girlfirend?" "What’s your favorite food?" With every response from Darius or the crew, there was applause, and when we said goodbye, we got a thunderous standing ovation!
* On Tuesday/Wednesday, Jason and Daniel flew to Pittsburgh for a Q&A at the Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center state conference. This was another amazing crowd who asked great questions and gave Daniel and Jason an incredibly warm welcome. Afterwards, there was a party with karaoke, and Daniel and Jason did a duet of "Whoop, There It Is." Too bad we don’t have a videotape of that. It would get a ton of hits on youtube.com
* On Friday morning, Collin and Sam flew to East Lansing, Michigan for the East Lansing Film Festival. DGW screens there tomorrow afternoon. They’re having a blast in this college town, where tomorrow is a huge St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Hmmm....hope the guys make it to the screening! Funny story about this festival: Last year, we applied to it and got rejected. This year, they wrote and invited us to submit our film. When we told them we’d been rejected last year, they said they had a new selection committee this year and had heard a lot of good things about DGW. Not only were we accepted, but they agreed to host two crew members. Sweet!
* On Sunday evening, we’ve been invited to have dinner and host a Q&A with the youth group at First United Methodist Church. We’re looking forward to that and hope we get a good turn out.
* Fiinally, late Sunday night (actually about 2:00 AM Monday), Jason, Allison, Barbara,, and 13th crew member Justin Bell will load Darius in the van and head to Boston. We have a Harvard-wide screening on Tuesday, then a high school screening on Thursday at Fayerweather St. School. If you have friends or family in the Boston area, please send them our way!
This week marked the anniversary of the loss of Mario Robinson, Darius’s beloved older brother. On Thursday, Sam and Daniel took Darius, his mom, and other family members to visit Mario’s grave. This was the first time Darius had been there since Mario’s funderal, and it meant a lot for him to be able to pay tribute to him.
Know about it!
Friday, March 7, 2008
IN MEMORY OF EVE CARSON
March 7, 2008
We are mourning the loss of Eve Carson, 22, beloved big sister of DGW crew member, Andrew Carson. Eve was killed in Chapel Hill, NC on March 5, 2008. She was valedictorian of Clarke Central High School and student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was expected to graduate in May. Eve was the epitome of everything good in this world and a HUGE Darius Goes West supporter.
You've likely seen stories about Eve on CNN and other national televison shows, as her senseless murder has captured national media attention. Here is a link to a news story and another link to a heartfelt message written by the Vice Chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill...
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2008/03/06/unc_0307.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2008/03/07/University/There.Is.Only.One.Eve.Carson-3258563.shtml
If you live in or near Athens, we're having a candlelight vigil to honor Eve's memory in front of Clarke Central High School tonight (March 7) at 10:00 PM.
The world has lost an incredible human being. Eve Carson will be sorely missed.
Know about it.
We are mourning the loss of Eve Carson, 22, beloved big sister of DGW crew member, Andrew Carson. Eve was killed in Chapel Hill, NC on March 5, 2008. She was valedictorian of Clarke Central High School and student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was expected to graduate in May. Eve was the epitome of everything good in this world and a HUGE Darius Goes West supporter.
You've likely seen stories about Eve on CNN and other national televison shows, as her senseless murder has captured national media attention. Here is a link to a news story and another link to a heartfelt message written by the Vice Chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill...
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2008/03/06/unc_0307.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2008/03/07/University/There.Is.Only.One.Eve.Carson-3258563.shtml
If you live in or near Athens, we're having a candlelight vigil to honor Eve's memory in front of Clarke Central High School tonight (March 7) at 10:00 PM.
The world has lost an incredible human being. Eve Carson will be sorely missed.
Know about it.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
BACK-TO-BACK SCREENINGS
March 2, 2008
We've had a busy but awesome week. On Thursday, we drove up to Young Harris College in the North Georgia mountains. It was supposed to be a two-hour drive, but three quarters of the way there, the highway was closed (a truck had turned over), and we had to take a detour on the Richard Russell scenic highway. It was very curvy, and with Darius in the back of the van, we had to take it slow. We barely made it in time.
It was well worth the trip, though! When we arrived at Young Harris, the screening room that was supposed to be limited to 100 students was packed with about 150 students (don't tell the fire department!). There were folks in the aisles and all over the floor! They were laughing so loud while the movie played. Afterward, they gave Darius and the crew a long standing ovation, then asked some great questions. They also bought DVDs and t-shirts and donated $205 to Charley's Fund. Woo-hoo! Thank you,Thomas Kloepfer for arranging this screening, for attracting such an awesome crowd, and for being such a perfect host!
We didn't get home from Young Harris until well after midnight, but that didn't stop us from showing up at the Classic Center in Athens on Friday for a DGW screening at the Council for Exceptional Children state conference. This screening was also packed, mostly with special ed teachers (or students studying to be SPED teachers), and wow, what a receptive audience. Halfway through the movie, one of the attendees had to leave the room to get rolls of toilet paper for all the folks who were laughing and crying so hard! They, too, gave Darius and the crew a standing ovation and bought lots of "Know About It" DVDs, DGW t-shirts and wrist bands after the show. Thank you DGW crew member John Harmon, (who's a special ed major at Georgia College), for organizing this screening!
WE NOW HAVE DGW BUMPER STICKERS for sale at our online DGW store (to access it, go to www.dariusgoeswest.com and click on "Get a DVD and some DGW stuff") or call 1-888-8DARIUS. These sell for $5 plus shipping, and there are two kinds. One has white writing on a black background and says "Goslabi...Know About It." The other has black writing on a white background and says "DGW...Know About It." Both have our website listed below the sayings. As usual, all proceeds go to Charley's Fund for DMD research.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
We've had a busy but awesome week. On Thursday, we drove up to Young Harris College in the North Georgia mountains. It was supposed to be a two-hour drive, but three quarters of the way there, the highway was closed (a truck had turned over), and we had to take a detour on the Richard Russell scenic highway. It was very curvy, and with Darius in the back of the van, we had to take it slow. We barely made it in time.
It was well worth the trip, though! When we arrived at Young Harris, the screening room that was supposed to be limited to 100 students was packed with about 150 students (don't tell the fire department!). There were folks in the aisles and all over the floor! They were laughing so loud while the movie played. Afterward, they gave Darius and the crew a long standing ovation, then asked some great questions. They also bought DVDs and t-shirts and donated $205 to Charley's Fund. Woo-hoo! Thank you,Thomas Kloepfer for arranging this screening, for attracting such an awesome crowd, and for being such a perfect host!
We didn't get home from Young Harris until well after midnight, but that didn't stop us from showing up at the Classic Center in Athens on Friday for a DGW screening at the Council for Exceptional Children state conference. This screening was also packed, mostly with special ed teachers (or students studying to be SPED teachers), and wow, what a receptive audience. Halfway through the movie, one of the attendees had to leave the room to get rolls of toilet paper for all the folks who were laughing and crying so hard! They, too, gave Darius and the crew a standing ovation and bought lots of "Know About It" DVDs, DGW t-shirts and wrist bands after the show. Thank you DGW crew member John Harmon, (who's a special ed major at Georgia College), for organizing this screening!
WE NOW HAVE DGW BUMPER STICKERS for sale at our online DGW store (to access it, go to www.dariusgoeswest.com and click on "Get a DVD and some DGW stuff") or call 1-888-8DARIUS. These sell for $5 plus shipping, and there are two kinds. One has white writing on a black background and says "Goslabi...Know About It." The other has black writing on a white background and says "DGW...Know About It." Both have our website listed below the sayings. As usual, all proceeds go to Charley's Fund for DMD research.
KNOW ABOUT IT!
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