The American Cancer Society announced that its recently concluded Relay For Life event in the Second Life virtual world raised nearly115,000 dollars (or $32 million Linden dollars, the official Second Life currency) to support cancer research and programs.
This year's tally eclipsed the goal of raising 75,000 dollars set earlier this year by volunteer organizers.
With support provided by the Society's Futuring and Innovation Center, this year's event, which ran from July 28 through 29, drew nearly 1,700 global participants (represented by avatars) willing to fight cancer by donating money and walking on a custom-built virtual track.
Using the theme "Quest for a Cure," volunteers used action adventure movies as inspiration for the games, scenes and activities that greeted participants during this year's Relay.
The Society's virtual Relay For Life began in 2005 when Society volunteers in the Second Life community contacted Society staff to discuss the idea of creating a Relay event in the virtual world.
In 2006, the event raised more than $41,000 and attracted more than 1,100 participants to a track that included real-world representations of New York City, Paris, Mexico, Sweden and South Africa.
In only its third year of existence, the virtual Relay For Life® has repeatedly exceeded fundraising expectations. By early July, volunteer organizers had already shattered their original $75,000 goal by raising more than $90,000.
"It is only through our extraordinary volunteers, who dedicated months to raising funds and awareness in Second Life, were we able to have such a successful event," said Randal Moss, the Society's manager of futuring and innovation-based strategies.
Like the virtual event, the real-world Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money to support the American Cancer Society's fight against cancer.
During the events, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds or parks and take turns walking or running laps while trying to keep at least one team member on the track at all times. Relay For Life events, which are held in more than 4,800 communities in the United States and in 19 countries, have raised more than $2 billion to help the Society accelerate the progress against cancer.
For more information on the Second Life Relay For Life event, please visit http://www.cancer.org/slrfl and http://www.slrfl.org/.
Information about Relay For Life is available 24 hours a day by visiting http://www.relayforlife.org/.
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States.
http://www.cancer.org/.
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