For those of you following the website who don’t know already, I wanted to bring everyone up to date on what’s happening.  During our first roadtrip, our website platform (WordPress) was doing some upgrades, but it turns out that our hosting provider (Yahoo) is not keeping up with the times and cannot support the new version of WordPress.   This has put the site in limbo for awhile.

The site is being moved to a new provider, based in Houston, called HostGator (it’s in testing now, and a font glitch seems to be most visible hurdle at the moment).  Meanwhile, the learnings gathered and feedback from the roadtrip seem to call for some significant changes to the look and feel of the website to help translate from “hey, that’s pretty cool” reactions to “I want to participate” actions.  So the site will more than likely get a makeover and some functionality changes.

This probably means a longer hiatus given our single developer, but after considering all the factors the key seems to boil down to:  it’s better to do an extensive re-vamp now in one big chunk while the site has only a handful of nominations and sponsorships than it does to try and trickle all the changes in.

Hang in there…

Sponsorship Excerpt/Teaser:
This certificate is good for $15 in our Los Angeles store (does not apply to toward consignment items).

Sponsorship Description:
This certificate is good for $15 in our store at 4310 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90029.

Come choose from a great selection of gently used kid’s clothes (infant to 10 yrs.), great books, toys and accessories. We even have cool maternity stuff!

This gift certificate does not apply to toward consignment items.

Sponsor’s Profile:
Out store features gently used and new brand name children’s clothing. We also uniquely feature gently used maternity clothing and women’s accessories as well as vintage children’s clothing. We also carry gently used (and new) children’s books, artwork, toys, furniture and accessories. Last but not least, we serve as a kid-friendly performance space for music, events, etc. Whew!

Sponsor’s Website:

http://www.growkidgrow.com

Sponsor’s Address:
4310 W. Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles
California
90029
United States

Search classifications/tags:

Sponsorship Offering Category: Home – something that affects home, family, friends, and/or community
Sponsorship Offering Type: Giftcards
Sponsorship Offering Subtype: Goods
Sponsor’s Area Code/Phone Prefix: 323
Sponsor’s Zip Code/Postal Code: 90029

Sponsorship Disposition: I am ok with my sponsorship being awarded to a nominee by public vote or directly awarded to someone by a Diogenes’ Lantern representative during a roadtrip or event/promotion.
Sponsorship Expiration: 10/31/2011

Nomination Excerpt/Teaser:
June W. runs a very small shop called The Little Store in Davis, Oklahoma. Davis is a small town of about 2600 people…

Nomination Description:
June W was a truck driver for 25 years, but now runs a very small shop called The Little Store in Davis, Oklahoma, a small town of about 2600 people a few miles east of I-35.

When I drove into town, The LIttle Store was the first place I stopped…it looks like it used to be one of those single pump mini gas stations at one time. The covered area out in front of the store is stacked with used items of various types. The interior is very small, and it’s clear from a cloth partition hanging acrosss the interior that the store is also a home.

I spoke to June at length, asking her about Davis and if she knew anyone in town that might be worth nominating. Davis has seen better times, and life there is a struggle for many, according to June, and she told me about many worthy efforts in the area, and she also told me several stories about the people in Davis that are struggling.

During the course of the conversation, it became clear that June herself was doing a lot of good in Davis. She did not talk much about herself at first, but in the course of talking about who was helping whom, and how families were trying to get by, little pieces drifted in…

The way that children who could not afford to shop at the dollar store across the road would visit The Little Store with nickels and dimes and go shopping. Too young to read the prices, June sells them items for a few coins without telling them that they are supposed to cost $1-$2. All the clothing in her store is free. June keeps a notebook of items that families need, and when she finds those items at other stores or on Craigslist, she forwards the info along.

She gave me the names of a couple of other possible nomination candidates and directed me to The Davis News, the local newspaper. I thanked her and kept on going, eventually ending up at The Davis News. They gave me the names of several candiates, and confirmed that June does give away all her clothing for free.

The ladies I met at there were very nice, and when I was leaving one of them asked to hold on, then went off and came back with $20 and gave it to me…my very first donation to Diogenes’ Lantern . I was touched, but I knew as I was getting back in my car that leaving this town with $20 in my pocket would bother me later, so I stopped back at The Little Store, and and gave June the $20 (and told her where it came from).

She sat there stunned for a few moments, then her eyes got blurry and she told me that business had been really slow the past 3 months and that she was trying not to be short on her rent for the first time ever, and that the $20 would really help her; so I knew I had made a good decision.

June is the kind of person I really am looking for with Diogenes’ Lantern…she barely has 2 nickels to rub together herself, yet she still helps others, not just in a material way, but by buoying their spirits.

Search classifications/tags:

Area code: 580
Zip code: 73030
Gender: Female
Age Group: Prefer Not to Answer

1. Ready To Go (Pop, Rock)

This song is great for driving, and was also a perfect one for starting the first Diogenes’ Lantern roadtrip.

2. Chaiyya Chaiyya (International, Pop)

This song is nice in the desert.

3. Black Betty (Rock, Blues)

Also a great driving song.

4. Angel (Modern, Lounge)

Not sure how to categorize this song, but I like it a lot.  It’s not a great song for driving if you are sleepy, though

Texarkana, AR

Idabel, OK

Antlers, OK

Henryetta, OK

Braman, OK

First toll roads on the trip so far, and the first rain, too.

[Note:  A history of roadtrip updates are available under the Roadtrips menu; not all roadtrip updates make it to the front page news items ...]

The next leg of the trip was Houston to Shreveport.  Stopped in Corrigan on the way.