Reader Submitted: Relay For Life of Second Life Holds Ribbon Cutting and First Laps

 

By Cynthia Farshore

 

On Saturday January 10th at noon SLT the Relay For Life of Second Life held a ribbon cutting ceremony and first lap followed by a dance. This was to celebrate the remaking of the entire American Cancer Society Island region and the symbolic beginning of the 2026 season. 

The American Cancer Society Island region is the official home of the American Cancer Society in Second Life. Since 2005, cancer patients, caregivers, and volunteers have been able to receive services and support from the ACS in SL without having to leave the virtual world.

The region filled with avatars of every kind listening to the dedications and descriptions of who did what to the region. Then ribbons that had been setup around the center square were cut.

After some cheering it was time to perform what is called the first lap were everyone walks around the interior of the new information center. At first things started rough as the leads were using voice instead of chat and not everyone could get voice. 

With the spirit of relay everyone helped in passing word what to do and was easy to follow the crowd as well.

It was a wonderful sight to see such a large crowd walking together in a single direction inside with dragons and winged unicorns flying around the outside. All united in the fight against cancer.

After a few laps around the crowd then moved across to a stage and dance balls where they danced and party from 2pm slt – 6pm slt.

If this event is going to be any indication as to what this season will be like then it will be a very great year!
 

Cynthia Farshore 

 

The 2021 Relay Kickoff

 By Bixyl Shuftan

After months of waiting, the Relay for Life's 2021 fundraising season finally started on Saturday February 20.

The theme for this year, "Cure for a Happy Ending."

Yours truly hopped over a couple days early for a few pictures of the American Cancer society sim.

But what was behind the curtain wouldn't be revealed until later.

The schedule that day was: 9am - music by Trader then at 10am the Kick Off Ceremony. Following that was the "all day party" with 11am music by Fiz Underwood, 1pm Purelife Magnifico, 3pm Riker, 5pm Tazzie Tuque, 7pm Anni Braveheart. Those who couldn't listen inworld could tune to T1Radio and RelayRadio on their webbrowsers.

Gemma Cleanslate was there before I was, and got a few pictures.

The sim where most of the action was, American Cancer Society2, was full with 60 avatars. I was at the edge of ACS in the "overflow" with over two dozen more.

Because of the Platinum Avatar Challenge, I was in a different form, a tiny Dinkie fox. 

Some of the people didn't show up as much more than body parts early on, but Stingray Raymaker and Gem Sunkiller rezzed okay.

Several members of team Friends For A Cure, including co-captains Ari and Adam Spark. Behind them are Avariel Falcon, Bane Finch, and Panza Eilde.

There were several members of team Sunbeamers, Matt Carlton, Liska Fuchs, Spooked Dreamscape, Snowbuns (Skylark Lefavre) and Nikki (Cynthia Farshore had made it ahead of us)

One of the HC Honor Guard.

By now, most people had rezzed, most of them. I still needed to "cover some butts" in the editing room.

The lighting was best viewed at Midnight. We caught up with Cynthia.

MamaP Alter (AlterP Beerbaum) was among those dancing to the music.

Visible at times were scenes of fireworks.

 In the back of the sim behind the castle was a "Road to Recovery."

It was a path with a number of obstacles.

But persistence eventually overcomes them.

For those interested, the "Road to Recovery" is still up, at least for now.

A video of the event was made, and pictures can be found on the RFL Flickr page, including Ishtarkiss's Kickoff album.

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: American Cancer Society Holds Open House and Ribbon Cutting

By Cynthia Farshore

On Sunday January 26 the Relay For Life of Second life held an Open House and Ribbon Cutting to celebrate the re-opening of the American Cancer Society Campus with a new and much improved sim that was later followed by a special live broadcast of Relay Rap"ACS Day" on T1 Radio. The event started at 12 noon SLT with the open house. The American Cancer Society Campus is a new full estate sim with Information Center, Hope Haven Support Group Building, Events Information building,Catt Gable Memorial Garden,and even an ACS Museum plus more.All is set out in a large open environment and in sections making it easy to go directly to what you are looking for.There is a lot on the sim and you will spend some time covering it all.For a relayer certainly worth it. There were volunteers around to answer questions and give tours.

One of the most touching parts of the campus is the Catt Gable Memorial Garden. It's simple but charming with pictures on easels placed in a square on square multi-layer platforms with just enough plants to add a garden environment. Touching the pictures will give you a note card telling you information about the person. A sign as you enter the memorial garden allows you to place a candle or flowers at the memorial of your choosing that will last for 30 days. If you wish to erect a memorial in honor of a person who has died from cancer contact Zander Greene, ACS Memorial Garden Curator.

 While walking through, I found the picture of Artistic Fimicloud, who was one of the Sunweaver community members we lost to cancer. I took a picture, and afterwards I realized it's like she's looking at me as if saying 'Don't forget me.' And seeing that the old team, the Passionate Redheads, has carried on to become the Sunbeamers. No Fimi, you are not forgotten, and we have not quit the fight.

At 3PM SLT people gathered on the roof of the Hope Haven Building and the Ribbon Cutting began with Stingray Raymaker, who is the American Cancer Society Staff Director for the American Cancer Society, Relay For Life of Second Life performing the ribbon cutting.

 After 30 minutes of small talk and more coming to take a seat the relay staff sat on a stage and T1 Radio personality Trader Whiplash opened the stream.

For around an hour and a half,they spoke about the things to be found in the various buildings including relay tools, banners, lots of info, and personal interaction with caregivers and survivors. They covered what the relay has done over the years in Second Life which has lead up to over one billion Lindens donated! Then the plans and schedule for this year was discussed. There was much to cover since this year everything is much earlier than prior years. Events included the Home and Garden Expo coming in February and the Fantasy Faire coming in April.

For more information concerning the Relay for Life of Second Life check out the web site at -https://secure.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY20VirtualEvents?pg=entry&fr_id=97294

You listen to Relay Rap on Sundays at 3:30pm SLT during Relay season on these channels.
Inworld Second Life - http://t1radio.serverroom.us:8242
On TuneIn App:http://tunein.com/radio/T1-Radio-s113797

Cynthia Farshore

The Relay For Life Season Kickoff

By Bixyl Shuftan

On Sunday March 5 at 10 AM SL time, the Relay for Life's official fundraising season had it's Kickoff event. The first events had actually been the day before when "Paint Second Life Purple" had started, so this made for a little confusion as too which was the official start. But this being the "Kickoff," this was.

 This year's theme was "Passport to Hope." a reminder that the struggle against cancer is an international one. Yours truly was there representing his community's team: the Sunbeamers.

Speaking to the crowd was the Relay Committee.

Some were a little more relaxed than others.

Gem Sunkiller was a bit "Stilted" from a glitch.

IshtarAngel, Micheline, one of the photographers of the event.

Henning Lionheart aka "The Wolf" of Team Strange Journeys.

Tasha Fairplay

Wildstar Beaumont, Holocluck Henley, and Oldesoul Eldemar. Olde is wearing a "Shady Fox" t-shirt.

Bain Finch and Panza Elde.

Isolte Ember, the captain of the "Ponies for Life" team.

Kalila Mahoney's avatar complexity was a little high, so she wasn't showing on some people's viewers.

This lady was wearing a mask, though it looked a little like the "dirty binoculars" prank from years ago.

RacerX Gullwing of the Giant Snail Racing team and Arizona Ballinger.

Avariel Falcon was a little late to the event, but made it over.

At one point, they were discussing the new "Passport HUD."

The Passport HUD, named after this year's theme, is a new tool one has to use this year to get certain Relay tools, such as the Relay team kiosks. This year, the kiosks cannot simply be passed around freely.

Looks like something broke. I myself ended up crashing several times

At one point, many of us were in a conga dance.

Some other girls were doing their own dancing. Note one nearby avatar that would not fully rezz.

 Some of the "Tiny Chrononauts."

Eventually, the Kickoff was over. But there would be a large number of events that day, as well as the Fashion for Life that had started. Once again, it was time to Relay. Time to once again raise money to help the American Cancer Society in it's effort to find treatments and funds against cancer, and have a little fun while doing so.

Already after less than a week, a few teams have already hit Gold rank in the fundraising totals. My own team, the Sunbeamers, haven't raised much so far as we've already had to raise funds for a friend in need. But we're expected to soon catch up. You can find our kiosks at Club Cutlass in Sunweaver Bay  (114/117/757), the Happy Vixen at Purrfection Estates (236/219/24), and the SL Newser office at HV Community (140/85/25).

On one amusing note, "Stinky the Relay Skunk" is back. Already one team has been "skunked." So this is sure to mean a number of skunk parties, and no doubt a few SL skunks dropping in.

For a recording of the RFL Kickoff, Bain Finch made one available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3OKHH-Ty8aLVFlDV0Z6ZjJoV3M/view?usp=sharing . Wildstar Beaumont made some pictures available on his Flickr page.

"Go Relay!"

Bixyl Shuftan