The 2019 Relay Season Ends

By Bixyl Shuftan

"All good things must come to an end." And so it was the case with the Relay for Life's fundraising season for 2019. Things were somewhat different this year as the season had been shifted a month early, from February to June instead of from March to July, to avoid an anticipated drop in activity in Second Life, and donations. For this season, "All Aboard For A Cure," besides some successful teams from last year and before, there were some new teams that did very well, such as the motorcross teams in the "Five Days of Relay."

Although the Relay Weekend was on June 8 and 9, and the track was taken down soon after, the season hadn't ended quite yet. Some teams planned one or two more events for a little extra push to raise a little more funding. On Wednesday June 19, the Spirit of the Dragon RFL team decided to throw one more party for "Just One More Hurrah! ...Please Join us as this remarkable team celebrates a last Hurrah before Wrap Up !! ... Tonite  we sing and dance and thank all for a wonderful Relay Season."

The party went from 4 to 7PM SL time, with musicians Loreen Aldrin, Melenda Baptiste, and
Frogg Marlowe. There were also Adorsy, Kitty Creations and EED Home and Garden 1000L gift certificates available. At the end of the event, team founder Darkstone Aeon announced the team had hit Jade level fundraising, which had been far beyond his original expectations at the season's start.

Spirit of the DragonRFL was going to be a team of 1 - I was going to put a few vendors out at my store and that was it - whatever was raised  would be good enough -  because of a few special folks who pushed and prodded    and made me think why I wanted to relay - we have now hit L$: 511,051  so for Kammie Eva Ted Jad - BB and a few others who took me kicking and hollering  down the Relay Road I thank you !

Two days later on Friday February 21, three of the smaller teams would have a joint event, hosted by team Mini A Chu and involving Ryukyu Warriors and Harshlands, from 11 AM to 8 PM SL time.

There's a Mini Dragon Roo Wrap-Up party in Harshlands For a Cure with Friends Lurking in Shadow starting at 11am slt Friday all the way till 8pm SLT with DJs from multiple teams and this will be our last attempt to bring 3 teams to Silver: Mini A Chuu, Ryukyu Warriors and Harshlands, bring your friendsssss, plus this is an exhibition of things, for this duration only, if you donate a certain amount to either Ryukyu Warriors, Mini A Chuu, Harshlands, you will get to choose a diorama of your choice, an absolute unique and ultimately detailed Mini A Chuu's specialized product

from Chuu Hikari Akamine

And for one random hour (given im awake) any product branded Mini A Chuu products bought will all be donatwd to each team RFL kiosk

It was a fun party, with some of the new noodle dragon avatars dancing away with the humans and furs. Teams Mini A Chuu and Harshlands would reach Silver level.

 Saturday June 22 would be the last event of one of the larger teams, Team ACTS Royal Ascot. Following the horse race was a dance.

The event, and later donations, would move the team up past Sapphire level (750,000 Lindens) to Ruby level fundraising, 1,250,000 Lindens / $5000 USD raised.

That afternoon and evening was perhaps the last event before the closing one. Team Shadow held a "Summer Solstice" party at it's Shadowed Forest Glen.

You are invited to join Team Shadow as we celebrate the Summer Solstice, Saturday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm SLT at the Shadowed Forest Glen. Formal or fae/fantasy fear requested, however, not required. Bring your kiosk and help us celebrate the close of the 2019 RFL of SL season.

The Sunbeamers and Roos With a Dream were among the teams taking part. Team Shadow would hit Silver.

Finally on Sunday June 23 was the Relay Wrap-Up event.

Join us ... as we say goodbye to the 2019 Relay Season!  Come and celebrate the amazing year we had!  Final Fund Raising Awards, as well as Community Champions, Spirit of Relay, and the Gordy Klatt Awards will be given.  It is time to PARTY and CELEBRATE!  See you there!

While the official start was at 10AM, there was some music and dancing beforehand.

Some final awards for the season would be given out. Among the people honored were Jamie Broken for her technical work and Ishtarangel for her photography.

There would be some more dancing afterwards.

It was a party that would last for a while, the last event of the season.

There would also be a poll given out for a choice of two themes for next year: cartoons or games.

Shortly after the Wrap-Up, Stingray would send the following message:

As the American Cancer Society staff partner for Second Life, I would like to sincerely thank our community for its generosity and support. This year, 198 teams participated in the Relay For Life movement and raised $238,900 to help the American Cancer Society attack cancer in our virtual world.

We were honored to welcome and celebrate the lives of hundreds of cancer survivors. Our luminaria ceremony demonstrated the community's warmth and strength in honoring survivors and those who are no longer with us.

I would also like to thank the Relay For Life event volunteer leadership teams, team captains, and participants who worked so hard to make this year's event a success. And of course, thank you to our premier sponsors, RGF Estates, The Chilli Post, Relay Refresh, Rockliffe University, and Sol Existence. By coming together once again, you all made this season a spectacular success!

Together, we can beat our biggest rival, and we're already getting started on planning for 2020. To ensure you receive  timely information, follow us on Facebook, join the Relay For Life Volunteers Group, and/or visit RelayForLife.org/SecondLife.

With all of my appreciation and gratitude,

Stingray9798 Raymaker
Jeffrey Montegut
Sr. Consultant, Virtual Community Development
American Cancer Society

 For my own team, the Sunbeamers, it's the end of another successful year. Three of our most active members had to deal with real-life trouble, including one having to go to the hospital to have cancer treated after thankfully discovered early so it was more easily dealt with. Despite the problems, the team continued to do well, and ended up with achieving Jade level for the second time in it's history and the second time it won a campsite trophy. For the Sunweaver/Angel community, "the little team that could" continues to be a source of pride, and over a decade after her passing continuing the work of the late Artistic Fimicloud.

So we say goodbye to the 2019 Relay for Life in Second Life season "All Aboard for a Cure," and look forward to the next one.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Relay Wrap-Up

By Bixyl Shuftan

"All good things must come to an end." That old saying was most likely on the minds of many of the Relayers as they gathered in the Relay dAlliez sim on Sunday August 14 for the final event for the 2016 Relay for Life season. Since March, the various teams and individuals had been raising funds for the American Cancer Society, the high point being the Relay Weekend in mid-July. And now, it was time to bring the season to a close with one last event.

The location of the event was located down a walkway leading from the entry point of the sim, decorated on both sides with trees filled with pinkish-red leaves. Getting to the area where the event was held, most of the people were on a brick patio with a few on seats at the back end. In the front was a stage done in shades of pink and purple, with the "Once Upon a Cure" logo in the back. On the stage were four stools for members of the Committee, but only three people: Nuala Maracas, Leala Spire, and Random  Padar. In front of the fourth was a cardboard cutout of Stingray Raymaker, whom was talking over the radio stream.

There were a number of announcements made at the Wrap-Up, of which the transcript and a video went up on the Newser on Monday. The total amount raised this season was announced: 59,584,580 Linden dollars, or $238,338 USD. The theme for next year was also announced: "Passport to Hope." Confidence was expressed that the teams would have no trouble coming up with events and builds to reflect the theme next year.

Several teams had moved up  a level in fundraising since the Relay Weekend.

 Rising Star: Relay Pranksters

Bronze: Frank Sinatra and Company, Team Mingan-For Relay For Life Of SL, Eureka High RFL, Dragons for a Cure, RadioActiveAir, Giant Snail Relay

Silver: Dreamin' in Purple, Team Live Wire

Gold: CyberNuts RFL, Walking Tall For A Cure, Friends For A Cure, Madd Vibes, Too Tough To Die, E&S Breedables, The Quest for a Cure

Platinum: Fighting Sunflowers, Circle of Life, Second Life Cheerleading Squad, Sunbeamers

Jade: Meli's Maniacs

Sapphire: Purple Tears, Sail For Life

The winners of several awards were also announced.

Top Team Fundraising Award - Overall:

1st: Relay Rockers - 2,834,856 Lindens / $11,339 USD

2nd: Goreans In Relay For Life - 2,079,125 Lindens  / $8,317 USD

3rd: Harmony Of Hope - 1,927,177 Lindens / $7,709 US

Top Team Convio Raising: 1st - Harmony Of Hope $4,390 USD, 2nd -  Two Moon Paradise $3,924 USD, 3rd - Relay Rockers $2,610 USD

Top Individual Convio Raising: 1st - Sunshine Zhangsun and Cathy10 Longoria $1,400 USD each, 2nd -  TS Darrow $1,290 USD, 3rd -  Trader Whiplash $1,090 USD,

Beacon Award : Individual - Shiran Sabra, Team - Aether Chronoauts Tiny Steps

Gordy Klatt Award: Nikki Mathieson

The Spirit of Relay Award, Team, went to the Cure Chasers

"This team goes out there, year after year, and not only work steadily to raise funds at their own events, but help energize and inspire this entire Relay.  The team remains above the fray and is always assisting other teams and individuals.  They reach outside their team and outside of Relay to hold fundraising events and raise awareness of the American Cancer Society. This team took a new team under their wing this year, made them feel welcomed and supported and always had a team member at one of that team's events.  This team also stepped up and helped host an event for a team when that team was unable to be in world due to travel and family commitments. They cheered all teams in the volunteer group as each team met a goal.  Their constant cheering trackside for people walking the track helped keep everyone awake on Relay weekend.  For 9 years this team has been one of the most consistent in fundraising, participation, support and outreach. Attend an event anywhere and you will find Seinna, Alexia and other team members in attendance. They exemplified the the one team spirit. They are truly one of the foundations of this Relay."

Friends For a Cure received an Honorable Mention.

"A new team who wrapped themselves up in our Relay and carried an amazing bright torch as their part in the crusade. Friendly, so kind and loving within the group and outside of it. They represented our Relay with a spirit that showed the EXAMPLE of what the Relay spirit is. Amazing team! They attended every class, every Town Hall and if you went to any team event you could find them there!  They have ties to the live music part of SL and were able to spread the word further than ever in that genre and we thank them for that.. deeply. I'm so glad they've joined our group and am proud to call them Relay Family."

The Spirit of Relay Award, Individual, went to Dianna Wycliffe

"This year's winner is well known in Relay for her generosity of spirit and her abundance of relay passion.  With tireless effort, she helps literally every single person who asks for or needs help with anything, from finding their way to events, to setting up convio, or just helping run team events.  When teams needed event ideas, she was there  to offer some, when a relayer was feeling down, she was there to lift their spirits.  She led her team to success in both convio and linden fundraising donations. Whether getting eggs ready for Easter, scaring the bejeebies out of everyone in an early Halloween event, or introducing relayers to a special  Pet Relay event, she never stopped.  She volunteered as a Fundraising Advisor this year to help new teams learn the ropes.  And with all this going on, she still found time to be a familiar face at almost all the other relay teams events with words of encouragement and praise. She has been a fervent supporter of RFL in SL for years, talking on leadership responsibilities and providing a continuing vision for her team, Harmony of Hope."

There were two new awards given out this year. One was "Change Makers."

"The Change Makers Award Is a celebration of individuals who have made a difference to Relay weekend. They did something during Relay weekend that grabbed attention. An outstanding act of kindness or a remarkable contribution, memory or laugh to the Event Day. Persons who brought humor, understanding, camaraderie, dedication and a strong sense of Relay Spirit to the event. These individuals will bring new guests to share the Relay weekend experience, they’ll promote unity and spirit throughout."

Those awarded "Change Makers" were Eclair Martinek, Ricka Deerhunter, Fuzzball Ortega, Gem Sunkiller, Secret Rage, Madonna Daehlie. There was also an honorable mention to Sue Peregrine, "Her name has come up many many times for what she took AWAY from Relay weekend…...lag!  The nominations sum it up best…'lag free for the first time in the history of Relay.'”

The other new award was "Community Champion," which went to two individuals and a group. OD Designs was given the award as although they formed Relay teams in the past, "This year that team chose not to make a team but instead play host to a number of team events." The first individual was Zander Greene, "He is influential in the amazing success of The Fantasy Faire.  He has served on the telethon team that covered our Relay for years.  He has used his building skills in making ACS Island what it is."

The second individual given the award was a surprise, "Our second award goes to BIXYL SHUFTAN and the SL Newser.  Bixyl is a member of the Sunbeamers team but outside of the team Bixyl has been blogging since 2010  about RFL of SL throughout the years with his SL Newser. Bixyl we appreciate all the time you devote to highlight RFL of SL in your Newser."

The list of winners can also be found on the RFL of SL awards page.

* * * * *

Over the past few days, I've gotten no shortage of congratulations for the Community Chamption award, including from real-life friends and family who found out. I've very proud and thankful for the award. But a couple things should be noted. One is that the award wasn't just to me, but also the Second Life Newser: a team of reporters. A number of members, such as Gemma Cleanslate whom has been part of the Relay for years, and Becky Shamen whom has become part of my team the Sunbeamers, have helped out in coverage of the Relay in ways large and small.

And then of course is the first part of the award's title: community. The Sunbeamer's community, the Sunweavers, have been supporters of the Relay of Life in Second Life for years. Members such as Alleara Snoodle, Lomgren Smalls, Dusk Griswold, Shockwave Yarreach, Cynthia Farshore, Skylark Lefavre, the late Artistic Fimicloud, our chieftess Rita Mariner, and others have contributed much season after season. It's a community in Second Life which I feel proud to be a part of.

With another year behind us, the Relayers can look back fondly at the events, and take pride in helping fund more and better cancer treatments, and bring the day when finally there's a cure for all cancers a little closer.

"Go Relay!"

Bixyl Shuftan

The Relay Wrap-Up: The RFL 2014 Season's Official End

Sunday August 31st marked the official end of the Relay for Life season in Second Life. Since March 7, the Relayers have had numerous events raising funds for the American Cancer Society, and having fun doing so. The season's peak, and the second to last big event was the Relay Weekend on July 19 and July 20, after which most teams ceased activity or held just one more event. Finally at 10 AM Sunday, the Relayers came together for the last time for the 2014 season.

Unlike the Relay Weekend, not so much grey showed up in my pictures, so I was able take clearer ones. This was despite the more than 45 avatars present, according to Daniel Voyager. I was in my skunk avatar, as both a tribute to "Stinky the Skunk" and a reminder of the "Bid Me" events my team the Sunbeamers did. Dr Fran Babcock was there along with her team captain Shawna Montgomery of the Relay Wizards.

On stage was the Relay Committee, speaking to the crowd over the radio. They gave their congratulations for a job well done, and announced various awards. And there was reason for congratulations. A whopping $415,422 US dollars had been raised. This amount made the Relay for Life in Second Life not only the top charity in Second Life, but a leading one worldwide.

Of the awards, there were many.

The Gordy Klatt Award: Dwen Dooley

Community Champion Award Recipients: Wildstar Beaumont, Saffia Widdershins, Daniel Voyager, Stingray9798 Raymaker

The Spriti of Relay Award (Team): Tribute City Relayers

The Spirit of Relay Award (individual): Cuddle Waffle

Top Team Conventional Fundraising: 3rd Place Relay Rockers, 2nd Place Circle of Life, 1st Place Harmony of Hope

 Top Individual Conventional Fundraising: 3rd Place Cesta Franizzi, 2nd Place TS Darrow, 1st Place Blynn Heron

Conventional Website Participation Award:

3rd Place--Unmasking a Cure, placing second with the number of team members registered (15), along with an average of 5 gifts per email.
2nd Place--Harmony of Hope, registering the most team members (20) and sending the second highest number of emails (59)

1st Place--Relay Rockers, sending the highest number of emails (107), and receiving 17 gifts.

Top Team Fundraising Award:  3rd Place Goreans in Relay For Life, 2nd Place Relay Rockers, 1st Place Amaretto Ranch Breedables

Best Man and Maid of Honor Recipiants:

Ahoffman Philly
Ava Jhamin
Bainfinch Resident
Cashew Writer
Chevelley Resident
CiaraNiamh McDonnell
Chipmunk Foxtrot 
CodyPason Resident
Cuddly Waffle
Daiseze Dahlstrom
Dawnbeam Dreamscape
Debi Dastardly
Dianna Wycliffe
Dwen Dooley
Eugenia Burton
Fizban Underwood
Fuzzball Ortega
Gem Sunkiller
Henrietta Demina
JIhan Wonder
johannes1977 Resident
Kaila Mahoney
Lanai Jarrico
Mackenzie Metall
Madonna Milena
MamaP Beerbaum
Mary Teodosio
Nikki Mathieson
Oldesoul Resident
Panza Elde
Prettykitty Gumbo
Rob Fenwitch
Rowena Dubrovna
RoxyLee Rayna
Sarandel Llewellyn
Sasha Fairywren
Sidonie Carlberg
Sienna Thor
Sigh Underwood
Sue Peregrine
Suzetta Moonites
Sylisan Resident
Tiviyah Resident
Trader Whiplash
TS Darrow
Valkyrie Twine
Vickie Maidstone
Zaphara Cazalet

The Clown Awards Recipients:

Twerking for a Cause--Saffia Widdershins
Most Drenched Dragon Rider--RoxyLee Rayna
Sit on a Tack Award--Dawnbeam Dreamscape
It’s Not Always Fuzzball’s Fault Award--Sigh Underwood
Keeping You in Stitches Award--Cody Pason
7Seas JailBird Award--Dallas Russell
Strange World Award--Rowena Dubrova and Cuddly Waffle

Finally the theme for next year was announced: "The Future is Now."

Following the announcements, there was music and dance. At 11:30 AM Singer Max Kleene performed live for the crowd, and at 12:30PM, Trader Whiplash DJed a set of tunes.

And so another Relay season had come to a close. But in the next few months there will be other cancer fundraisers, such as "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Across Second Life," "Relay for Life in InWorldz," and the "Xmas Expo and Breedables Fair." And of course the Relayers anxiously await March 7, 2015, when the next Relay for Life season begins.

Bixyl Shuftan