Written by: Jane Cozby
I’d like
to introduce you to Logan Smalley & Darius Weems.
Logan is the
founder of the Darius Goes West Foundation. The roots of the
foundation began with Logan’s volunteer efforts at a summer camp for children
with special needs.
At this camp, Logan met Mario Weems who had Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) - the number one fatal genetic disease of
children. He also met Mario’s younger brother Darius, who was then
5. After
seven years of summer camp, prior to Mario’s death, he asked Logan to look after
Darius. He couldn’t possibly know that this pledge would turn into a
recorded 7,000 mile road trip and documentary that would help raise well over a
million dollars for DMD research.
DMD is a form of muscular dystrophy
that worsens quickly. It occurs in about 1 out of every 3,600 male
infants. Children with this disease are not expected to live beyond their
mid-20’s.
It was
Logan’s idea to take Darius, who was now 15, on a cross country adventure in
attempt to get MTV to customize Darius’ wheelchair on the popular show, Pimp
my Ride. Logan, Darius and a crew of incredible friends departed
Athens, Georgia and headed west to California. They chronicled this road
trip and turned it into a documentary entitled “Darius Goes West”.
The
film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2005, where
it earned its first of over 25 awards, while raising awareness for the critical
need to find a cure for DMD and the importance of handicap accessibility in
public facilities.
Darius
just celebrated his 23rd birthday, lives a fulfilling life, and continues to pursue his
dreams. He recently debuted his single Thank You for 23 on
iTunes. He possesses an incredible positive attitude and love for
life.
“Darius
Goes West” is available on DVD and has evolved as part of the “Know About It”
Program, which is a classroom series targeting middle/high school students.
