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34 Degrees South
Give us some background on some of the members of your team and the company that you work for.
I am the owner and operator of grantmx designs (grantmx.com), a web design firm located in hot Atlanta, GA. I’ve been doing web design and development for over 10 years and member of ExpressionEngine’s Pro Network. However, the website, 34Degrees.org, is a site that my wife and I built together.
Tell us about the site. What vision were you trying to fill for the client?
34Degrees.org is meant to be our campaign website with the purpose to communicate via social media, blogs, photos and videos our vision of reaching South Africa for Christ through education.
So many people slog through life wondering what their purpose is and what they’re called to do. It’s part of the human condition. Every year, thousands of people die never really have ‘lived’. We get so caught up in the daily tasks of trying to survive that we subconsciously overlook the fact that there is much more to life than just trying ‘to make it’. Just staggering into work so our kids can watch cable TV and we can afford the latest model vehicle.
But when you think about it, have you ever considered why so many celebrities, with their millions of dollars, trot the globe, scooping up orphaned children and rebuilding villages? It might be because they have good hearts, but I also believe it’s because they have come to have a fundamental understanding that owning the newest gadgets and toys do not bring you inherent joy. Serving others does. The only difference between millionaires and the rest of us is the number of dollars stuffed in their bank accounts. Everyone is called to be a servant in some way, and our family believes that we are called to a nation that has piles of potential. The colonists came to South Africa to mine for mineral wealth, and we are joining a team that is mining spiritual wealth and unearthing educational opportunities.
Was there a specific reason why EE was chosen for this project? Why?
As I tweeted a few months back, “As for me and my house, we will use EE.” No really, EE was the obvious choice here. Honestly, I tried to do a quick and dirty WordPress website, but yet again, the flexibility just wasn’t there. So I scrapped the WP site idea, repented of my sin, and did something custom the way I wanted.
What add-ons were used? and why?
Some of the main add-ons I took advantage of were:
SL Combinator - I used quite a few jQuery plugins and wanted to compress the page and speed up the load time. SL Combinator by Stephen Lewis was the obvious choice. His plugin compresses your scripts and css in to a small string so the browser only requests your script once from the server.
FieldFrame, Matrix, & Wygwam - Time and time again I find my self using these handy dandy add-ons from Brandon Kelley. We use it for our photos, blog posts, etc. They’ve proven themselves indispensable over the years.
Freeform - The indisputable champ of contact form handling from the fine folks at Solspace.
What difficulties did you encounter? How did you address them? Was there a particular add-on that got you out of a bind?
The most difficult thing was creating the cookie based email sign-up modal box when someone first encounters the website. I’ve learned that if you don’t ask for a point of contact such as an email address, people will likely wont give it to you. So, I put my nose to the grind and used a lot of “jQuery-fied” Ajax (really AHAH) in both this modal box and the signup form at the bottom of the page.
Other Add-ons
SL MailChimp Subscribe, Low NoSpam, DC Required Category, SL Combinator
Company: Marshall Grant
Contact: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Leave your comments
Mandy
10/01 at 07:20 AM
Nice to read your thought, experiences and difficulties. The vision of this site attracted me the most. I don’t think much of us will think like this in this century.Your designs are very good and your experience with express engine shows it. I would like to know how good is cloud computing ? After reading briefly your websites history and needs I’m inspired to start one like this.
Basyl Jones
10/21 at 10:07 AM
This is a great initiative with the purpose to communicate via social media, blogs, photos and videos our vision of reaching South Africa for Christ through education. Everything in this statement seems really important. People need to communicate, share ideas and thoughts. It is always nice to learn something new and useful, to broaden your horizons by means of education. Needless to say how important it is nowadays, in this changing cruel world, to feel love and support of brothers and sisters in Christ. I must confess that I know too little about South Africa, only due to some articles and videos I could find by byfiles search highlighting sport events fron world football championship etc. I am eager to learn more about your activity. Hope that more people will pay attention to it.
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11/01 at 10:50 PM
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Marianee
12/26 at 01:58 PM
34 Degrees South is establishing libraries in South Africa and Zambia, publishing much-needed and award-winning children’s books in local languages, and providing a hand up for hundreds of children through their education program. I was a Peace Corp volunteer in Africa for two years after taking my master degree in social work and this is how I got to know 34 Degrees South, who are bringing education to the children of southern Africa by partnering with government and local communities and paving a smoother path for future generations.
worcester
12/30 at 12:11 AM
By the time I was assisting some career orientation trainings, I learned how important is for a teacher to be able to place himself in the shoes of his student. Especially when the students are these children from Africa, settled in a rather harsh social and educational climate. This is the only way you`ll make your students listen to you. And to make your students get an objective view about themselves and what they`re doing, reinforce their motivation, enhance their performance. Furthermore, I am taking into account what online msn programs teach us. Along with the time, I found out that things stay just the same in companies. Beyond the fact that rewards and recognition come in different shapes, motivation of the employees requires pretty much pulling the same psychological strings.
Kristin Anderson
01/01 at 04:58 AM
I am really admired with this website of what they have done to lots of African children. I hope it should be supported by public and Private Authorities. PMP Seattle
01/15 at 01:00 PM
Marshall and Malaka Grant are doing a great job on brightening up South Africa. Their role on children’s education in South Africa are making a positive impact. We take everything we have for granted and don’t even realize that the children in South Africa do not have proper education. Upon visiting the website I immediately noticed the poverty of South Africa. They are making their money the hard way, selling whatever they can get, such as shoes and other products. I also noticed the condition of the children’s clothing and it hit me very hard. With all of the necessities we have we should give something in return. I have a <a >Brother SE400</a> sewing machine that can help embroider clothing easily. I will take the initiative and donate my old clothing with special embroidered tags on them. Thank you for this website!
Christian
01/23 at 07:45 AM
I’ve read a lot of cruel things about the children from Africa, but I’ve seen a lot of people willing to think of other ones than themselves. I was thinking that after I finish my master of public administration, I can go to Africa for a couple of months, maybe half a year, and try to do my best to help those in need. They have the right to be educated, too.
Ella
01/25 at 05:26 AM
There are similar situations in other parts, too, where children really struggle to be educated. I remember seeing a picture when I was studying for my masters degree in criminal justice degrees. The pic showed a couple of children from South America going to school by traveling down a zip-line at speeds of 62km/h, at a height of 1200 feet.
Hola
01/28 at 01:36 AM
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Vonda
01/29 at 12:21 PM
This initiative to help the kids in Africa get education is surely something to admire. I’m curious if this organizations offers bcba certification online. That way they could get more volunteers in a shorter period of time. Good luck!!
AnnaKeighley
01/30 at 04:10 PM
Isn’t it amazing that the internet can help us help those in need? People that are currently in Africa are communicating with those who’re here in order to get better advice from those who are looking for constant technological development. I was actually thinking that after I finish the master of public health online I’m at now, I can also help them.
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Loraine
02/14 at 01:15 PM
The site looks good but what matters the most is the main idea. What they did is amazing, every time I see something like this, something meant to support children I almost feel like crying. I got a masters in nursing online degree only because I love children and I think there’s no greater good in this world than helping the ones in need.
anthony
02/20 at 12:09 AM
It`s great to know this is how they make the educational system more efficient. Apart from handbooks, leaflets, paperwork materials, students really need to fulfill their potential and vocation on some particular field by practicing their skills already. I just had my rn-bsn online programs diploma and I would have never managed to do it properly without taking my internship and applying in practice everything that I have learned in these school years.
green orchyd
02/20 at 01:53 AM
As we can see, some proactive public figures and the social services projects were the ones to promote and facilitate spreading the educational opportunities climate to less developed areas. This fact ought to be receiving our entire admiration and recognition, considering that not all social services get budget reinforcements from the government. I can name plenty of NGOs that have struggled to carry on with such projects on their own. I am currently taking my communication degree online and I would be thrilled to work as a spokesman for a public organization.
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02/24 at 09:16 PM
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Mike Johnson
02/25 at 03:01 AM
While I was getting my healthcare administration degree I had a scholarship in Australia and I was eating frequently at a restaurant named “34 Degrees South”. It’s just a coincidence but by searching the restaurant online I’ve reached you.
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03/07 at 04:48 AM
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