Relay for Life of Second Life kicks off on March 12!

Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) is all set to KICK OFF on March 12!

For the past few weeks, the Teams Chairs Panza Eilde and PrettyKitty Gumbo have been working with a team of mentors and liaisons to recruit, register and train the team captains and help them to start planning events ... over 80 teams have registered to date, and now they’re ready to KICK OFF!

KICKOFF event
Saturday March 12 is the big KICKOFF event, organized by Special Events Chair Katina Magic, at the BOSL Browns Football Stadium.

Before the ceremony, DJ and cancer survivor Aryon Dagger will be spinning the discs at the Tailgate Dance Party at 10am SLT.

Join her at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/BOSL%20Country%20Club/45/130/27 or listen on the stream at: http://t1radio.serverroom.us:8242.

The Kickoff Ceremony itself starts at 11am SLT. Take your seats at:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Casablanca%20Bay/26/224/2029 or http://slurl.com/secondlife/BOSL%20Country%20Club/206/232/2024

If these venues are full, you can continue to listen on the t1 radio stream.

FUN and FUNDdraising
Last year, Relay For Life of Second Life raised $222,000. This year’s target is US$300,000. Event Chair MamaP Beerbaum said: ‘My main goals for this year’s event are to bring in new relayers, those we haven’t reached before, to have all of our relayers work as "one team", helping one another, supporting each other, all working towards a common goal, and to have a successful fund raising season, setting new records in those efforts!’

She continued: ‘I love attending team events and I love interacting with our relayers. Everyone participates for their own reasons, but we share one common goal. The stories of our relayers bring everything to life for me.’

Stingray9798 Raymaker, the American Cancer Society’s representative in Second Life, added: "This year, Relay For Life of Second Life will raise its one millionth US dollar. This momentous occasion gives our volunteers a reason to rally, and a reason to get excited. It's a special year and a landmark that has inspired our volunteers to think bigger, better, and to remember how amazingly unique and groundbreaking the Relay For Life of Second Life is. My hope for 2011 is that all of our volunteers have fun while participating in this event and have a fulfilled experience, knowing that they are leveraging technology to make a meaningful impact in the fight against cancer."

Seasons of Hope
The theme of this year’s Relay For Life of Second Life is Seasons of Hope. Because every season – winter, spring, summer or fall – is a season of hope. As Event Co-Chair Dwen Dooley said: "Even in the shortest days, the darkest nights, the coldest winds, there is hope, and nothing can take that from anyone." Stingray added: "Hope is the most important intangible that Relay For Life provides, because the work that volunteers, teams, survivors and caregivers do through Relay For Life allows newly diagnosed cancer patients opportunities for survival that didn't exist years before. And that is the kind of hope that each season brings."
Relay weekend
After 18 weeks of fun and fundraising, the teams will build campsites for Relay Weekend which will take place on July 16 and 17. Team members, volunteers and members of the SL community will walk a track for 24 hours to Celebrate survivorship, Remember those we have lost, and Fight Back to save lives by making a personal pledge to fight cancer.

To keep up to date, please join our SL’s RFL Volunteers Group in Second Life, follow us on http://twitter.com/RelayForLife_SL and http://rflofsl.blogspot.com/ or ‘like’ our Facebook page ‘Relay For Life of Second Life’.

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About Relay For Life of Second Life
Relay For Life® is the signature fundraiser of the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) is an annual activity that takes place in Second Life® in July each year. Volunteers form or join teams to have fun while fundraising and raising awareness from mid-March through mid-July. In July teams build campsites and walk a track, just like in a real world Relay. The main RFL of SL track event this year will take place on July 16-17. We will walk a virtual track for 24 hours, just like in a real world Relay For Life. Team members build and gather at their team campsites, enjoy live music, participate in fun events, and explore the many Relay sims and the incredible builds by some of Second Life’s top designers, as the event runs overnight and into the next morning.

In 2010 Relay For Life of Second Life attracted more than 120 teams with participants from over 30 countries, held over 300 team fundraising events between March and July, and raised over US$222,000 (that’s REAL US dollars) for cancer research and education. The funds raised go to research, advocacy, patient services and programs, with 12-15% going to international projects. Just as in the real world, RFL of SL is an international event.

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For more information:
For background information see https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Relay_For_Life_of_Second_Life