RFL 2023: it’s the Weekend to Relay in Second Life

Saturday, June 10th and Sunday June 11th mark the annual Relay for Life of Second Life Relay Weekend, raising money for the American Cancer Society and their projects to help and support cancer sufferers and their families and caregivers the world over. With American Cancer Society (ACS) regions forming the anchor-point for the event, 35 regions have been combined to provide the weekend’s track, which all Second Life residents are invited to walk for a part of the weekend and show support for those who have been stricken by cancer and / or remember those in their own families / circles of friends who have been lost to the disease/ are living within its shadow.

The theme for this year is Hope Floats, and this is reflected in the multiple camps and places to visit which line the RFL walk as it loops through the regions. The event officially opens at 10:00 SLT on the morning of Saturday, June 10th, with the opening ceremony taking place on the ACS2 and ACS 3 regions. Immediately following this is the first of a continuous series of laps around the walk, which will continue through until the closing ceremony at 10:00 SLT on the morning of Sunday, June 11th.

This first lap of the track is reserved for those dealing with cancer or who have survived its impact on their health, together with their family members and caregivers. However, residents as a whole are encouraged to line the track and show their support for them as they make their way around it.  After it comes the Parade of Teams: those groups active within Second Life who are active in both supporting ACS through organising and running their own fund-raising events, and who help to make this weekend the  Relay Weekend the event it is.

After the Parade of teams, from 14:00 SLT onwards on June 10th, through until 09:00 SLT on June 11th, there will be a series of hourly themed walks around the track, open to anyone to join for as long as they choose. As always, participants are invited to join in with the theme, all of which are listed below (all times SLT).

Luminaria Ceremony and Lanterns

At 21:00 SLT on Saturday, June 11th, the track will be in darkness and silence, with all those in the Relay Regions are asked not to engage in open text or voice chat but to walk the track in silence or stand to one side, as the names of those to be remembered are read.

It is a time for each of us to reflect on how this disease has touched us personally.  And it is a time for us to look inside ourselves with quiet reflection and find hope.  Because no matter what our experience has been with cancer, we all share the hope that we will one day live in a world where our children, and their children, will never have to hear the words “you have cancer”.

– Relay for Life of Second Life event web page

Along the sides of the relay track are the Luminaria lanterns that can be used to commemorate and / or honour someone you know who has succumbed to or survived cancer. Lanterns can be lit for a minimum donation of L$50 (all proceeds to Relay for Life of Second Life). Donations can can be made by clicking  a lantern and then either selecting a set amount or typing in an amount of your choice. You can also optionally enter whether you are lighting the lantern in memory or in honour of someone, and also add their name and / or a message.

So, get ready to join the fun and help raise money for a very worthy cause!