Relay For Life of Second Life

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What is Relay For Life?

  • Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society's signature fundraising event.
  • It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.
  • Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path.
  • Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event.
  • Traditional Relays are overnight events, up to 24 hours in length.

What is Relay For Life of Second Life?

Relay For Life is the signature event of the American Cancer Society in Second Life and has been active, and continually growing in Second Life since 2005. In 2005, the first Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) was attended by a few hundred avatars and raised almost $5,000 US dollars for the American Cancer Society. The 2014 RFL of SL event ranked number 17 out of 5000 events, worldwide in donations received. SL residents have brought in over 3.6 million US dollars to help with the fight against cancer since 2005. The 2020 Relay event weekend will be held on June 6-7, and everyone on the grid is welcome to attend.

Until there is a cure We Relay!

For information contact Stingray9798 Raymaker, MamaP Alter, Nikki Mathison, or Trager Alter.

History of Relay For Life

One person can make a difference. Nowhere is that more evident than with the story of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, which began in Tacoma, Washington. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma colorectal surgeon, wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed – running marathons.

In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He ran for more than 83 miles. That first year, nearly 300 of Dr. Klatt's friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. Throughout the night, friends donated $25 to run or walk with Dr. Klatt for 30 minutes. His efforts raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

While circling the track those 24 hours, Dr. Klatt thought about how others could take part in his mission to fight cancer. He envisioned a 24-hour team relay event that could raise more money to fight cancer. Over the next few months, he pulled together a small committee to plan the first team relay event, known as the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer.

In 1986, with the help of Pat Flynn – now known as the “Mother of Relay” – 19 teams took part in the first team Relay event on the track at the historic Stadium Bowl and raised $33,000. An indescribable spirit prevailed at the track and in the tents that dotted the infield.

Since then, Relay has grown from a single man’s passion to fight cancer into the world’s largest movement to end the disease. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with additional communities in 20 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Thanks to Relay participants, the American Cancer Society continues to save lives.

History of Relay For Life of Second Life

  • 2004
    • The first volunteer driven fundraiser for the American Cancer Society ever in Second Life
    • Avatars: 99
    • Total raised: US$2,000
  • 2005
    • The first Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28, 2005. It started at 5pm SL time. It was the brainchild of Jade Lily (who in real life was an airman called Keith Morris) and was reported in the The New York Times in an article called 'Letting your fingers do the running'.
    • Total raised: US$5,000
    • Avatars: 315
    • Laps: 817
    • Sims: 6
    • Course Length: 2,500 meters
    • Distance Walked: 2,042,500 meters
  • 2006

The second Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 22 through Sunday, July 23. It started on Saturday at 5pm SL time. It was again organized by Jade Lily, and the track was laid out over 12 sims representing the different countries of the world.

    • Total raised: US$41,000
    • Avatars: 1570
    • Sims: 12
    • Laps Walked: 2,047
    • Course Length: 4,065 meters
    • Distance Walked: 8,321,055 meters
  • 2007

The third Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 21 through Sunday, July 22, 2007. The Event Chair was Fayandria Foley.

    • Theme: Quest for a Cure
    • Total raised: US$118,500
    • Avatars: 1831
    • Sims: 32
    • Laps Walked: 1,519
    • Course Length: 12,140 meters
    • Distance Walked: 18,432,891 meters
  • 2008

The fourth Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 19 through Sunday, July 20, 2008. It took place over 35 sims laid out in the shape of an 'H'. The Event Chair was Fayandria Foley and the Event Co-Chair was David Jacobs.

The fifth Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 18 through Sunday, July 19, 2009. The Event Chair was Fayandria Foley, and there were four co-Chairs: Tayzia Abattoir, Nuala Maracas, Stella Costello, who was succeeded halfway by Charlene Trudeau, and Belle Loll.

    • Theme: One World, One Hope
    • Total raised: US$274,000 (corrected figure)
    • Avatars: 1913
    • Sims: 36
    • Laps Walked: 2,155
    • Course Length: 11,907 meters
    • Distance Walked: 25,650,536 meters
    • 'Video: Part 1'
    • 'Video: Part 2'
  • 2010

The sixth Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 17 through Sunday, July 18, 2010. The Event Chair was Tayzia Abattoir and the Event Co-Chairs were Nuala Maracas and MamaP Beerbaum.

    • Theme: Wishing on a Cure
    • Total raised: US$222,804
    • Avatars: 1579
    • Sims: 36
    • Laps Walked: 2,676
    • Teams: 139
    • Luminaria Lit: 7,271
    • 'Video'
  • 2011

The seventh Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 16 through Sunday, July 17, 2011. The Event Chair was Mamap Beerbaum and the Event Co-Chair was Dwen Dooley.

    • Theme: Seasons of Hope
    • Total raised: US$375,000
    • Avatars: 2140
    • Sims: 44
    • Laps Walked: 3,846
    • Teams: 144
    • Luminaria Lit: 4,821
    • 'Video'
  • 2012

The eighth Relay For Life of Second Life took place on Saturday, July 14 through Sunday, July 15, 2012. The Event Chair wasMamap Beerbaum and the Event Co-Chairs were Dwen Dooley and Nikki Mathieson.

    • Theme: Time For A Cure
    • Total raised: US$375,385
    • Avatars: 1,741
    • Sims: 40
    • Laps Walked: 2,978
    • Teams: 155
    • Luminaria Lit: 3,843
    • 'Video'
  • 2013

The ninth Relay For Life of Second Life took on Saturday, July 13 through Sunday, July 14, 2013. The Event Chair was Nikki Mathieson and the Event Co-Chairs were Dwen Dooley and Serina Juran.

This year marked a shift in the Relay For Life community, where the old committee structure was dissolved in favor of a core Event Leadership Team that was responsible for the season and the event priorities, and allowing as many volunteers to participate in the execution of tasks required to execute a successful season & event. The entire fundraising system was overhauled and replaced, which would allow teams to continue using the same tools, year-round, without having to replace them.

With a renewed enthusiasm, the Relay community celebrated its 15th year in the virtual world, seeing a burst in the number of new teams participating. The Relay community fndraising totals reached their highest level since 2015. The season kicked off earlier than ever before (Feb. 16) with the Relay event moving from July to June (8-9), taking place on a 35-region track in the shape of the number 15.

For a full history, visit: [[1] 'RelayForLife.org/secondlife']

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I go (inworld) to receive information about Relay For Life or for cancer support?

A: Visit the American Cancer Society Island [2]

Q: Why does Relay For Life take place overnight?

A: The significance of daytime and nighttime coincides with the journey that all cancer patients go through. A much-used slogan is 'Cancer doesn't sleep and neither do we'.

Q: How does this Relay differ from Relay For Life in real life?

A: The main difference is location. Residents form teams, set up and decorate campsites, and sell small items to help raise money just like at a local relay. Since this is a virtual environment however, there are some activities that are special to Second Life, such as, snail races and sailboat races.

Q: Relay For Life is an activity of the American Cancer Society. Is it just for Americans?

A: Relay For Life is international. In real life, Relay For Life is licensed to national cancer societies in 19 countries outside the United States, and the American Cancer Society's International Relay For Life Program provides training and technical assistance to licensees. In Second Life, participation by residents from other countries is growing, with avatars from over 80 real life countries.

Q: Why should people from other countries donate Lindens to an American cause?

A: The American Cancer Society is the global leader in the fight against cancer and in cancer information, participating in many global forums and alliances every year. For more information about how we are leading the global fight against cancer, visit http://global.cancer.org.

In 2018 & 2019, the Fantasy Faire (a mega fundraising event for Relay For Life) was allowed to restrict all fundraising dollars to be used to help the American Cancer Society fund the construction of a new Hope Hostel in Kenya. 2018 marked the first time that a Relay For Life fundraiser would earmark donations for a specific global initiative. To date, the Fantasy Faire has raised $100,000 USD that will be used to help fund the construction of the Hope Hostel in Kenya.

The 2018 Christmas Expo fundraising is dedicated to fund the Patient Navigator program for the Kenyatta Hope Hostel project, which will add two navigators to help cancer patients in Kenya find the information and resources they need and to make informed decisions on treatment options.

This new approach to 'mega-event' fundraising has allowed us to dedicated specific funding to global projects, where we are able to deliver the right kind of support to areas around the world where it is needed most. Additional global projects will benefit from future fundraising in Second Life.

Q: How can I be sure my Lindens will get to the right place?

A: If you suspect a fraudulent kiosk or vendor, you can ask Stingray9798 Raymaker to investigate. All money donated through the approved fundraising tools will be routed directly to the American Cancer Society. We can check our transaction history to verify that the fundraising tool is sending money, correctly. And, we can also check tools to make sure that they are functioning properly.

Q: Where does my Relay For Life donation go?

A: See: [3]

Q: Is it possible to fundraise outside the Relay For Life season?

A: In Second Life, we encourage volunteers to take a break during the offseason, but year-round fundraising for the American Cancer Society is certainly up to you. As of 2018, the fundraising tools will function year-round, but may be reset to L$0 at the start/end of each season. Only money raised during the season will be counted toward a team's drive toward fundraising club levels. Offseason fundraising may still show in a team total in hover text above the tools, but will be reset to L$0 to start the next season.

Relay For Life of Second Life Fundraising Guidelines

This is an online virtual fundraiser, unlike any other. If there are any questions about these guidelines, please contact the RFL of SL Event Chair and/or Co-Chair to discuss. There may be times of special circumstances considering the platform that we are utilizing to fundraise.

For the detailed guidelines, visit our Guidelines page: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=89967&pg=informational&sid=212807&name=fundraising-guidelines

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UPDATED April 2018

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