ALS awareness week 2016 in Second Life

Opening on Sunday, February 21st and running through until Sunday, February 28th is the Harvey Memorial Ensemble ALS Awareness Week, a charity event intended to both raise awareness of ALS and raise funds for continued research into the disease.

Dedicated to the memory of ALS victim Harvey22 Albatros, the week focuses on music and art, with both live performers and DJs offering sets throughout the week, and a number of SL artists offering pieces for auction, with all proceeds as well as donations during the week going to AISLA, the Associazone Italiana Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes also referred to as motor neurone disease (MND) or the synonyms Lou Gehrig’s disease and Charcot disease,  is a specific disorder that involves the death of neurons that control voluntary muscles. For about 90-95% of all diagnosed cases, the precise cause of the disease is unknown; for the remaining 5-10% of diagnosed cases, it is inherited from the sufferer’s parents. There is no known cure, and symptoms generally first become apparent around the age of 60 (or 50 in inherited cases). The average survival from onset to death is three to four years. In Europe and the United States, the disease affects about 2 people per 100,000 per year.

In 2015, the Harvey Memorial Ensemble ALS Awareness Week raised €840 (approximately L$234,000) for AISLA. This year once again sees a host of live performers and DJs participating in the music events, and there will be an auction of artwork from Bryn Oh, Mistero Hifeng, Solkide Auer, and Kicca Igaly. Bids for the works they are offering can be made via the auction flower alongside of each piece, and the winning bids will be announced at the closing of the week, on February 28th.

The events schedule for the week, at the time of going to press, is given below. All times are SLT.

SLurl Details

• Harvey Memorial Ensemble ALS Awareness Week (Rated Adult)