Relay in Second Life, Relay for the Second Lives

American Cancer Society-Relay for Life in Second Life really relays. With its posters around rotating advertisements for various events, the island welcomes those who concern about people with cancer. The three sculptures, each in the form of a woman, a man and his children, and a couple, stand in a relay line. Beside them, the inscriptions on the stone tablets read respectively as following: “I relay, so all the women who come after me can relay”, “We relay, for my wife and their mothers who can’t be here to relay”, “We relay for both of us, so we can relay together always”.
We are all familiar with the fund-raising programs in reality, from advocating, launching, to finally sending to money to those we want to help, all of which will take much time due to the difficulty of practical work. Now, as the above example shows, Second Life-the representative of the ever-growing virtual world-has taken the initiative in raising money in much faster and appealing ways.
Mr. and Mrs. Damask, a couple both in Real Life and in Second Life from Texas, USA, have been volunteers in American Cancer Society for years. As Mr. Damask describes in my interview, his mother and wife suffered from breast cancer years ago; luckily, they managed to get through with others' help. “I don't want my daughters to hear those words.” He says. So shortly after the cure of his family, he and his wife both joined the American Cancer Society. Having been an art auction lead for the survivors/caregivers art auction, Mr. Damask expressed his hope, as what the motif of this island is: “We relay for a cure.”
There is an art auction once a year for relay for Mr. Damask’s group along with many other groups. First, the advertising is posted on the rotating board around the island. And then, before the auction, a detailed advertisement including the time, place and other information is posted. Some of the paintings used in the auctions are imported from real life of artists both in Real Life and Second Life. “The Relay is patterned after Real Life but is so much more impressive here in Second Life.” Mr. Damask said. Last year the SLRFL made 275K for the American Cancer Society.
Many other fund-raising activities are organized and carried out for different kinds of purposes in Second Life, like natural disasters, wild life protections, and environmental protection. They serve as platforms for people like Mr. and Mrs. Damask in Second Life who were helped by others in their lives to express their concerns for others, as what the theme of American Cancer Society Island goes-We Relay For Life.