Bill Text: GA SR514 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Day; recognize March 5
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2009-03-09 - Senate Read and Adopted [SR514 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-SR514-Enrolled.html
09 LC 94
1009
Senate
Resolution 514
By:
Senator Cowsert of the 46th
A
RESOLUTION
Commending
Darius O'Brien Weems and recognizing Thursday, March 5, 2009, as Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy Day at the state capitol; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) affects one in 3,500 boys with an estimated
20,000 sufferers in the United States and 60,000 world wide; and
WHEREAS,
the life expectancy for those children with DMD is their late teens to early
twenties; and
WHEREAS,
DMD knows no racial or geographic boundaries and is the most common fatal
genetic childhood disease; and
WHEREAS,
Darius O'Brien Weems, a young man living with DMD, was inspired by the loss of
his 19 year old brother, Mario, to the same disease, and decided to raise
awareness of DMD and its effects on countless lives around the world;
and
WHEREAS,
in 2005, Darius Weems and his 11 man crew created
Darius Goes West: The
Roll of His Life, a documentary following
Darius from his hometown of Athens, Georgia, across the country to Los Angeles,
California, with the goal of making an appearance on the MTV series
Pimp My
Ride, to customize his wheelchair;
and
WHEREAS,
the movie documents the 7,000 mile journey in which Darius and his friends prove
that life has no limits and celebrates the amazement and wonder of friendship
and being alive; and
WHEREAS,
Clif Downie at Full EFX Auto Techniques heard of Darius's need for a wheelchair
and surprised Darius in Atlanta, upon his return from the West, with a donated
and fully customized wheelchair;
and
WHEREAS, the hilarious and heartfelt film was funded through grants from United Cerebral Palsy, Children's Wish Foundation International, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and the Turner Foundation and by the generous and kind-hearted citizens of Athens, Georgia, who donated money and helped raise funds for the cross-country trip; and
WHEREAS, the hilarious and heartfelt film was funded through grants from United Cerebral Palsy, Children's Wish Foundation International, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and the Turner Foundation and by the generous and kind-hearted citizens of Athens, Georgia, who donated money and helped raise funds for the cross-country trip; and
WHEREAS,
Darius's film, which has raised over $1.5 million in theaters alone, is a
nonprofit production with $17 of every $20 DVD purchase going to Charley's Fund
for support of DMD research; and
WHEREAS,
one of the most decorated movies of 2007,
Darius Goes West
has captured 28 film festival awards and
dramatically increased awareness of DMD and the desperate need for research and
funding to find a cure, as well as increased the awareness of the importance of
the Americans with Disabilities Act; and
WHEREAS,
Darius Goes West
has created an educational program with a
multisubject curriculum to accompany the film, and in 2009, a DVD of
Darius Goes West
was mailed to every middle school and high
school in the United States.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend
Darius O'Brien Weems and his crew for their remarkable film, applaud them for
their outstanding contributions in furthering the country's awareness of
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and recognize Thursday, March 5, 2009, as Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy Day at the state capitol.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Darius O'Brien Weems.
