Seasons of Hope Relay Weekend 2011

I received the following notecard from Noki Blindside:

SEASONS OF HOPE!


RELAY WEEKEND 2011!!

Relay For Life of Second Life will be held this year on the weekend of July 16th and 17th, 2011.  It is the culminating weekend to months of fund-raising, and a time when we all come together as one team in our fight against cancer.  On that weekend, forty sims will make up our Relay track, themed builds will span the sims, and each team will have a plot of land to build their team campsite.

Each team is given a small parcel of land to build a team campsite. Teams decorate their campsites to a team theme or a theme that will tie into the over all Relay theme which this year is SEASONS OF HOPE.   You will have to follow a few guidelines such as prim allotment etc, but it is your plot to have fun with!  If you would like suggestions for builds, or need any help with building your campsite, Design Chair, Charlene Trudeau and her team of designers and builders will provide help for you.

The campsite is the team’s home base and the point of support that will keep them going throughout the Relay weekend.  You may NOT hold fundraising events at your campsite due to sims becoming overloaded and people not being able to walk the track.  You MAY sell items at your campsite if they are in the RFL vendors or you may have people sponsor you per lap.  Keep in mind the track spans 40 sims, so each lap may take a good hour or two.

A moving tribute to survivorship, cancer survivors from Second Life start-off the Relay by walking a victory lap around the track known as the Survivors’ Lap. Also a Luminaria Ceremony to honor those affected by cancer is held at dusk. Lit candles are placed in bags bearing the names of both survivors and those lost to the disease.

Throughout the evening and into the next day, everyone enjoys entertainment, fun, and camaraderie. Long before walkers have completed their last lap, new friends have been made, old friends have been hugged, and all hearts have been touched by the magic event that is the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

Each community’s Relay For Life is special and our Second Life Relay For Life is no different, but it’s greater power lies in the synergy created from all the Relays taking place nationwide.

The common theme of every Relay, dating back to Dr. Klatt's first efforts, is to have members of teams continuously walking, running or rolling around a track for 24 hours, to honor those who are surviving cancer, those who have died from it, and the efforts of all who fight it. Cancer never sleeps, and the fight against cancer never rests!

Some common elements of Relays across the world and here in SL as well include:

Celebrate – The Survivors Lap
Relay starts with a Survivors Lap – a inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories we’ve achieved over cancer. The Survivors Lap is an emotional example of how Relay participants are ensuring that more lives are saved each year – like those of each individual on the track. We also recognize and celebrate caregivers at Relay For Life. These individuals give their time, love, and support to friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers who face cancer. At Relay, people understand the frustrations and joys of being a caregiver, since the effects of cancer reach far beyond just the person diagnosed.

Remember – The Luminaria Ceremony
after dark, we honor people who have been touched by cancer and remember loved ones lost to the disease during the Luminaria Ceremony. Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence. As people take time to remember, those who have walked alongside others battling cancer can grieve and find healing. This is a time that truly highlights the importance of defeating this disease.

Fight Back – The Fight Back Ceremony
Last, there is a Fight Back Ceremony, where we make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer. That personal commitment may be to do something as simple as getting a screening test, quitting smoking, or talking to elected officials about cancer. By taking action, people are personally taking steps to save lives and fight back against a disease that takes too much.

Celebrate, remember, and fight back are themes that link all Relays events together.  

For more information contact:

MamaP Beerbaum
Event Chair
mamapbeerbaum@gmail.com

Dwen Dooley
Event Co-Chair
dwendooley@gmail.com



UNTIL THERE IS A CURE. . . .WE RELAY!!