Spreading the Hope – RFL Hope Hunt + Race begins Sunday, September 27

Starting Sunday, September 27, the Relay for Life of Second Life Hope Hunt + Race will be taking place throughout Second Life. The Hunt will last for three weeks from 10am SLT on Sunday, September 27 through Saturday, October 10. All proceeds go to Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature activity.

This is a treasure hunt in Second Life. It was conceived by the ‘All-Stars’ Relay for Life team who originally organized a hunt in June, but had to close down the hunt due to technical issues. They have now resolved the issues and are looking forward to a successful event!

So how does it work? Over 200 participating merchants will hide pink Hope roses at their locations. Like most hunts, many of the merchants will be putting give-away items - ‘swag’ - in the roses. There will also be 100 roses on the American Cancer Society sim. Unlike many hunts, merchants can place as many roses as they choose at their location - there is no limit. The rose represents hope for a cure, and the organizers chose pink for this event because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This is also a ‘race’. Cash prizes have been donated and will be awarded to the winners at the conclusion of the event, as follows: first prize: L$45,000; second prize: L$25,000; and third prize: L$10,000. The prize money has been donated anonymously, in honor of a loved one who lost the battle to cancer.

To take part, hunters click on a sign to receive a free Hud, which they can wear, which will track the number of roses they find. The signs are set out at participating merchants and there is no entry fee. The leaderboard will be displayed on the Hope Hunt website: http://thehopehunt.blogspot.com/ and will be automatically updated every three hours.

The merchants will purchase the roses they place at their location(s). All proceeds from the sale of roses go directly to Relay for Life. There will also be a website that provides merchants with ‘traffic reports’, showing the number of avatars who have found roses at each of their locations.

Says Sidda Jubilee of the All-Stars team: ‘Each and every one of us at one time or another has been touched by cancer. It has destroyed so many lives and Relay for Life enables our avatars to participate in defeating this enemy. We want to stamp cancer out of our lives now and forever. With hunts being so popular in Second Life, there is no better way to spread cancer awareness across the grid; it will also spread this awareness to each and every avatar's real life as well.’ She continued: ‘Special thanks are due to Arete Diplomat whose wonderful scripting made it work.’

Tayzia Abattoir, Relay for Life of Second Life Event Chair for 2009-2010 says: ‘I am excited to have it utilizing the American Cancer Society sim so more people can see the services we have here :) It is a wonderful idea, and the way it was thought out and put together took a lot of work and dedication. Kudos to everyone involved with such a creative fun event to raise funds for the ACS!’ She added, ‘I plan to look for some roses when I find time to quit working LOL!’

Happy hunting! And if you would like to volunteer for Relay for Life 2010 please join the ‘SL’s RFL Volunteers’ group and look out for the announcements.

For cancer information 24/7, please visit http://www.cancer.org or call 1.800.227.2345 in the USA.