AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY - Relay for Life of Second Life shatters records

July 24, 2009 | Vetting explained

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Last updated: July 24, 2009

iReport —

Poppy Zabelin, the Chair, International Relations Committee
for Relay For Life of Second Life, just sent this wonderful Press release to me, which I am honored and very happy to share with you all.

This year American cancer Society shattered records with the Relay for Life of Second Life and I am sure we´ll grow. We can do it!!!

Thank you for the support and lets follow making the difference. I am honored to be a member of The Riverbend Runners team and to know so nice and caring people.

We from the InnerWorld Magazine will always support this cause and many more.

www.inner-world.org

PRESS RELEASE Thursday, July 23, 2009

This year’s Relay had the theme of ‘One World, One

Hope’ and was the largest to date, with a track lined

by luminaria winding through 37 sims of amazing

builds - some specially created by designers, and some

built by the teams themselves. More than 1,900 avatars

completed one or more laps, a combined total of 2,155

laps, while others chose to visit the campsites, where

they could teleport to a space station from the

survivors’ moon camp, visit the Mars base, cycle

around the Tour de France, zap cancer cells in the

Anatomica build, take a ride through the breast

cancer rollercoaster, explore The Shire – home of the

hobbits - rest on the lovely Tranquility beach, or attend

one of the music events on the entertainment sims.

There was also a lovingly built replica of the Charleston,

SC Hope Lodge. Avatars gathered outside Hope

Lodge wearing purple capes, and pledging to ‘Fight

Back’, in a moving ceremony. And 5,370 luminaria

were lit in support of loved ones going through

treatment, and in memory of those heroes who have

passed on.

Stingray9798 Raymaker (the avatar of the official ACS representative in

Second Life,

Jeffrey Montegut) drew attention to some of the new features of this year’s

event: ‘This year marked the first year that we held the Relay for Life of

Second Life Teen Edition (a teen relay was held from Friday to Saturday)

which means we actually relayed for 48 hours, straight.’ He went on:

‘Particularly important this year was that the American Cancer Society’s

‘mission’ and the ‘international’ aspect of Relay were fused into almost

every aspect of the event.’

Relay for Life of Second Life shatters records, raises over US$270,000 to fight cancer

RELAY FOR LIFE, the signature fundraising event of the

American Cancer Society, closed its fifth and most

successful annual event in Second Life on Sunday,

July 19 having raised over a quarter of a million US

dollars in support of cancer research. With donations

still coming in, that figure is already over $270,000 US

and it looks as if the final total will easily surpass that by

the end of July.

Fayandria Foley, who is stepping down as Relay for Life of Second Life Event Chair after four very successful years – three as Event Chair – said: ‘This was our largest and most successful Relay ever. We have put Relay for Life of Second Life on the map not only in Second Life but also in real life.’ She continued: ‘Gwinnett County Relay For Life (one of the largest perennial events in the USA, with more than 6,000 participants raising more than one million US dollars – ed.) may be the biggest Relay for Life and the largest money maker in real life but ... they don't have participants from over 26 different countries, a survivor camp on the moon, a roller coaster, or sailing activities, they don’t have tinies and furries, they don't have the ability to fly and to teleport from one side of the track to the other, and above all they don’t have you! WE are truly One World!’

This past weekend’s Relay For Life of Second Life also

set a new listener record for T1Radio, the Relay's Official Broadcaster, which reported that this was its biggest weekend ever!

According to Trader1 Whiplash, the station

recorded more than 6,000 unique IP addresses

logged to T1Radio on July 18-19 combined. ‘I knew

right away this was going to be a huge weekend. By

the time we began the opening ceremony we had

more than 600 listeners showing on our board’ said

Trader.

The love and caring makes you wish the whole world could experience this.

Days after the event as I go for my walk, my head is a little higher, my stride faster and my smile wider as I see myself doing backflips and running down the virtual track surrounded by survivors, caregivers and supporters from every nation.

‘2009 was my first RFL in any life but you can bet this Aussie cancer survivor will be joining a local group in real life too.’

Next year’s campaign runs from March through July 2010 but plans are already being made, so if you would like to play an active role please join the ‘SL’s RFL Volunteers’ group and look out for the announcements.

For further information please contact: Belle Loll (belleloll@charter.net) or

Poppy Zabelin (poppy_zabelin@yahoo.co.uk)

Pictures at

http://www.flickr.com/groups/slrelayforlife/

For cancer information 24/7, visit cancer.org or call 1.800.227.2345

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Stories from Second Life

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