So What is the Relay for Life?

Hi,
I'm Fay, the Relay For Life event chair of 2008. Thank you for the comments and suggestions on how we can improve Relay For Life of Second Life's impact. I do regret and apologize for the confusion some of you experienced and we will take your comments and grow from them. I ask that you consider Cinders' suggestion and drop a notecard on her with your ideas, questions, and comments.
The sites she listed for more information are wonderful sources or you may go to relayforlife.org. You could come to the American Cancer Society Island and ping an online greeter too, your questions will be answered happily and if they don't know the answer they will find it for you.
Thank you Cinders for assisting those who participate in forums - you each matter to us and we welcome you to Relay - and again I apologize for your confusion and appreciate your concerns.

Fay

Just out of curiosity, is there a way of making a RFL in favor of another society? I wouldn't mind to participate on a similar event to raise funds for the Portuguese Cancer Society, not only because I'm portuguese but mainly because back in 1999 I had a cancer and after doing quimiotherapy I made a surgery to remove it. So now in spite of being tottaly cured I try to help Portuguese Society whenever I can

You should start with the organization, if for no other reasons taking contributions for a cause should have the underlying documentation. Unfortunately, the fact that there are so many events for cancer causes means that it is also an area where fraud takes place and it might not be taken at face value if you were collecting for an organization without proof of a connection.

My wife wondered if there was a Susan G. Komen BC Awareness Walk in SL, but evidently not - her preferred cancer-related charity.

Wow - there really should be a book dedicated to this answer. Relay For Life is so much more than just a walk around the track. It's so much more than the many fundraising events. It's so much more than luminaria bags. It's all these things combined...and more.

I am Stingray9798 Raymaker, and I am the Relay For Life staff partner for SL. I work for the American Cancer Society as the Online Content Manager for Relay For Life. I say this so that you can rest assured that you are getting accurate information from me.

So, where to begin?

I'll give you the short short version w/ some options to learn more at the end of this post.

1. Relay For Life (RFL) is the American Cancer Society's (ACS) signature fundraising event. (we have been sharing our format w/ other cancer organizations worldwide, including Canada, Africa, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and more).

2. How RFL raises money for cancer: Teams of people (usually b/w 8-15 people per team) sign up to be a "team" for the RFL event. That commitment means that they will raise as much money as they set their team goal to be. In SL, they have between January and the event (mid-July) to raise that money. This does not mean they are required to raise money for 7 months, straight. Teams have the freedom to raise money however they wish, so long as they do not break any laws or any ACS fundraising guidelines.

3. Is my donation secure? Yes, all RFL teams are required to use the fundraising kiosks and vendor cards that are designed by RFL volunteers. Each year, new kiosks and cards are designed and given to teams to use. Money donated through these kiosks and cards is directly routed to the American Cancer Society's avatar, AmericanCancer. The money is periodically withdrawn and converted into USD and then the American Cancer Society divides the money between itself and other cancer organizations around the world (including Cancer UK, as someone had mentioned them in a post). The kiosks are also scripted so that each team is given credit for the amount of money raised through their efforts. Those totals are updated in real time on the RFL of SL website: http://www.rflofsl.com.

4. And this is the short version!!! LOL

5. What about the event? The event is the culmination of the teams' efforts to raise money over the past 7 months. (In RL, teams raise money year-round. The RFL of SL stops fundraising activity to avoid "burnout". At the event, each team is given a specific amount of land to build a "campsite." In SL, these are the beautiful builds that you see while walking around the track. Some teams raise additional money at the event by selling items...but it is not required. Each team has a member walking the track at all times. Members switch out throughout the 24 hour event, thus making it a "Relay" For Life.

6. What about cancer survivors? Ahh - our guests of honor. The Relay For Life EVENT is not all about fundraising. It's about celebrating those who have fought cancer and won. It is about remembering loved ones lost. And it's about fighting back against a disease that has taken too much. Survivors kick off the Relay For Life event by walking the first lap with their caregivers. A caregiver is anyone who has helped that survivor through their cancer journey. After the survivors' lap, the teams take to the track and walk for 24 hours. There are fun activities to play, there is fundraising, and great music. In SL, T1 radio broadcasts the event on the sims (and does a great job of it). This year, SLCN did a 12-hour telethon from the RFL event, too.

7. Publicity - the challenge of publicizing RFL is constant because in an effort to spend our donor dollars wisely, the American Cancer Society does not pay for advertising of any kind. Therefore, any and all publicity for our events must be donated. In this post, I did see some good suggestions and comments that we can certainly entertain to help educate people about more than just donating money...but why? and what we do with the money? and why this event is so special to thousands of SL residents every year.

8. Who puts on the RFL of SL? VOLUNTEERS! The committee, the teams, and everyone involved in RFL are volunteers who donate their time, money, talents, and more. I am the only employee of the American Cancer Society that is dedicated to serving these volunteers. Again, this is an example of how efficient the American Cancer Society is w/ its donor dollars. We spend as little as possible so that as much money can go to cancer research and the mission of the ACS and other cancer-related charities around the world.

9. How much money did RFL of SL raise? Last year, the RFL of SL raised about $118,000 USD. This year, we raised about $200,000 USD. We are still tallying the final numbers.

10. This is fine, but my questions are still not answered. Contact me (Stingray9798 Raymaker) in-world or by email: [email]relayforlife@cancer.org[/email]

11. I want to get involved - contact the RFL of SL Event Chair, Fayandria Foley in-world.

For more information about Relay For Life, in general (not just SL), go to: http://www.RelayForLife.org

Thank you - and I hope this helps.

Stingray9798 Raymaker

I'll give some history as best I can remember it.

It was early in 2004 when I first spoke to Jade Lily about her idea to raise money for the ACS. A bunch of us got involved, having everything from music trivia contests to club nights, all to raise money for the ACS. At the time, Jade called the group "Lindens 4 Life." None of us were really aware of specific regulations at the time on how donations could be accepted. There's a whole suite of rules required to allow donations to be taken as a tax write off, or to give a product (think PBS umbrellas and tote bags) to be given in return for a donation. Still, the ACS was very grateful for the efforts spearheaded by Jade, and a significant sum was raised.

It gathered enough attention that in 2005, Randal Moss (RC Mars in SL), who works for the ACS, got involved directly with Second Life and the first official "Relay for Life in Second Life" was launched. I was more heavily involved in those days, and did some scripting which allowed the team concept to start, as well as building a web based chat that would allow cancer survivors without a powerful enough machine for SL to chat with SL avatars within 20 meters of a "chat relay" prim. Linden Lab also donated the "vehicle / event" sims (Brilliant, Balance, etc) for the event, and the "relay walk" was started in SL. The idea was you walked the relay path, and there was everything from kissing booths to simple hang out areas thoughout.

It has continued to grow, and is a real testament to how generous the Second Life community is. Randal and Jade deserve a ton of credit for the work they've done over the years, as does everyone involved.

Regards,

-Flip

Guess I still dont get why the SL RFL 'stops'

Nor why we're required to put in personal and banking info in to get a kiosk

And I never got a notecard unless, like beforementioned, you have to donate to get it first. I've clicked it, all over, several ones. Did I miss the spot someplace?

I'd have no issues dropping notecards with suggestions and such, I'm a terribly honest person which has most of my RL co-workers rather despising me right now, but these few things just confuse me enough to not drop the note.

I'm well aware, as I'm sure we all are, that we can donate directly to the ACA, but why can't we have the kiosk after it 'ends' for those that don't have the RL money or can't donate directly for whichever reason? I don't mean to 'steal' the thread or cause any sort of upsets, but it just confuses me too much and I don't think the answers should be private.

Why stop? If I want to donate, say, July 4th in memory of all cancer survivors - Or September 11th in honor of the tragedy, why shouldn't I be able to to donate through SL?

I've seen the word 'burnout' but that still doesnt cut it for me. If people are that impatient, then they need to LEARN patience. What does it matter how much is raised and by who? This is for THEM, not for us to win some silly little prize. Sure, I'd fight to win every single 'battle' if that meant I could win something great as knowing everyone in my state would become cancer free. But why my state, and why just the state?

Sigh.. Perhaps I really am just too opinionated. I simply do not have RL cash to donate, but have so much on SL that I would donate and build to help me donate. But I guess I'll have to tell those little boys and girls, men and women, that they'll just have to wait until next year. Perhaps I should keep note on how many die from end to start. Sure, donating doesn't guarantee anything but at least it's worth trying!

I do think the SL RFL is really wonderful and you've all done great - I just wish you didn't make it stop. Think how much could be donated from New Years to Christmas (or a similiar holiday). What a gift that would be. Even several Relays per year. Quarterly or such. I'd start my own 'Relay' but few people know me, and they would prefer to donate to something like RFL anyway so it would be a moot point. Even know, you could just tell me to hush and who am I to say otherwise?

Ok.. Now I'm running late for work.

Malina,

If you have room in your groups listing, you should join the SL's RFL Volunteers. This is the group where you can receive notices for RFL of SL. This was where questions about the kiosks and vendors were answered and other requests for information. Through this group you can find out who to contact about a particular question, someone is always online.

Please bear in mind that many of the different dept. organizers have been working on RFL of SL 2008 since just after RFL of SL'07. You'd be surprised to find out how many of the volunteers are survivors too.

At the ACS/RFL website (cancer.org or relayforlife.org) you've had the option to donate by mail or phone. Click on 'Donate by Mail or Phone' on the left side of the screen near the bottom and just follow the directions for either choice. You can also call the ACS's National Information Center at 1-800-ACS-2345, the Center is open 24/7 if you have any questions about making a donation.

The problem is that it is not 100% clear when the actual relay IS when you do year-round fundraising. It is something that should be clearer. Something like 'walk for life on xx July 2009' should be prominently displayed on every kiosk so we might have a clue when the actual relay is supposed to take place.

Having been involved in RFL the past two years on a very small scale, I've seen first hand the HUGE amount of work and dedication the volunteers put in to make this happen.

Cinders Vale, Fayandria Foley, Stingray9798 Raymaker, and FlipperPA Peregrine have all posted very informative information that answered most of the questions I've seen raised (and I am thrilled to see more people interested in RFL *smiles*). These posts include websites for more info as well in one or two cases personal emails provided to answer any lingering questions.

Malina - I would recommend you contact one of the above people. I can truly understand confusion on the issue but statements like:




and



sound a tad bitter and sarcastic. Not sure where that's coming from. The majority of people I have met in SL RFL are either cancer survivors or cancer caretakers whose attitudes are so amazing. Our team lost one of our beloved members (and someone very well known in many areas of the SL community as evidenced by many teams who came together to remember her) just weeks before the relay. So I can assure you RFL and the ACS isn't "making it stop" with some cavalier attitude that your posts seem to suggest.

If you truly have an interest in this...I again ask that you get in touch with the people who have a LOT of knowledge on this subject and have offered their contact info. Someone with your passion would be an invaluable asset to the RFL.

I tend to volunteer. I've been an unpaid official in several sports for some years and my wife and I are involved in cancer events stemming largely from her position as an oncology nurse. We both also volunteer at our church in a variety of functions. I have to say that it does annoy me somewhat when people ask why volunteers don't do more. If you think that the volunteers need to do more, then volunteer and take up the slack you see.

Volunteers are not people without lives. We work our volunteer activities into 50 hour work weeks and our other activities. My wife and I tend to take off periods together, when we don't do classes or officiate or do talks, so we can recharge our batteries together, doing things we can't do when we are in a volunteer mode. So if you think 'they' need to do something on an annual basis, then step up, be part of 'them' and see if the work can be continued. Maybe some of 'them' are taking a well deserved break.

I regret the worthwhile issues that need more time that I can't find the time for. And I resent the complaints from those that don't make the meetings, don't make the demonstrations, don't make the time. Just saying and my opinion...

Well said, Cael!

While I am not apart of the volunteer group (yet), I don't think it stops. I think it goes down for maintenance, to allow time for planning next year's event, announcing what the theme is going to be, modifying note cards and other sources of information, builders submitting plans for their builds, the committee approving them and then the actual building/scripting/texturing for each sim. Then you have the team stuff that needs to be handled, such as registering a new team or bringing together the old crew, setting goals, planning events to help meet those goals, finding the building/scripting/texturing talent to deal with the camp sites, finding sponsors willing to donate items for the events and then the walk itself.

Sounds kind of overwhelming doesn't it? This is the key to making it seem so awe inspiring and without the feeling of the last minute rushed onto the plot. And keeps the poor volunteers from being frazzled at the end.

Malina,

As far as I know, all charities have certain fundraisers that they hold every year. Every charity accepts donations at any time. No charity 'stops', even if it seems like it has.

If you'd like to create/build items to put into the RFL vendors for next year, please do so. Again by joining the SL's RFL Volunteer group, you'll get notices about events where you can set out your official RFL vendors when the time comes. Some teams had locations set up for anyone to put out a vendor. Notices also went out about all events where vendors could be set up from March to Relay. Many store owners set out their own vendors in their businesses or had a special area for that purpose.

I'd ask everyone to consider that the volunteers and organizers put in a great deal of time working on Relay year round. This is done with RL family, work responsibilities, and SL time zone differences. Not to mention those individuals who continued to fulfill their commitments even while handling surgeries, chemo, radiation or recovery. And yes, planning already started up for 2009.

We are going to our best to take note of your suggestions and make improvements. BUT, the organizers need to know about them first. Send your notecards(titled with something other than Notecard) to me. Contact Fayandria and Stingray by their emails they both listed earlier in this thread.

I will keep checking this thread for new comments.

For anyone in countries other than the US, there is the International Relay for Life.

International Relay For Life: One World - One Hope!

From February'08 to today there have been at least 266 Relays held worldwide.
Some of the countries are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala,
Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

For more information about the International Relay for Life programs, please email Darnelle Bernier at [email]darnelle.bernier@cancer.org[/email]

For other international programs, information on how to join the worldwide fight against cancer, send your email to: [email]international@cancer.org[/email]

There is a international scholarship program called the American Cancer Society University, please send your email to: [email]acsuniversity@cancer.org[/email]

I hope this information will be helpful.

And I have no idea why [email] is appearing here, I sure didn't add it in. I'll assume this is some kind of default setting or a glitch beyond my control, heh.