Once again, those crazy folks in Second Life are pulling off a good deed through the magic of virtuality. The online world, which encourages innovation and creativity from its residents, is going to play host to a "Race" for Life this weekend, as part of the annual offline Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. From the blurb:
This adventurous new virtual setting will allow people to participate in Relay regardless of their geographic distances or physical limitations.
Over the weekend, Avatars will run around the virtual racetrack in a region called Balance, earning sponsorship cash in Linden$, which will be transferred into US$ and donated to the charitable organisation. Non-residents can sign up for a free trial to take part or donate money in-world in a variety of unique ways, or can donate "real" money here.
Three cheers for Keith Morris and Jerry Paffendorf for organising this event.
This isn't the first time the virtual world has held events for offline causes. As Philip Rosedale from Second Life creators Linden Lab explained at the EIEF, groups like VERTU have been active in fundraising through fashion shows, discussions and others.
via the NYT (reg req'd)
