“Second Life® is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.” Second Life currently boasts approximately twelve million residents, with numbers increasing daily. Creators of Second Life are sure to generate a very comfortable profit from the game.
In stark contrast, today in the real world, 1.2 billion people remain mired in extreme poverty, the equivalent of living on less than one dollar a day. Of these, 44% live in South Asia, 24% in sub-Saharan Africa, 24% in East Asia and 6.5% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Many thousands have found their own place in Second Life; the possibilities are endless. The game offers opportunities to develop and learn skills, nurture creativity, showcase talent and create bonds of friendship with people from other parts of the world you may never have met otherwise.
Many ‘real life’ organisations and businesses have found their own niche within the game, and to date the efforts of in-world residents has raised thousands of US dollars for several charities. WFWO will be the next beneficiary thanks to the innovative initiative and the passion shown for global issues by two in-world residents, Brian33 Rubble and Bryonie Alcott, a.k.a Brian Mohr and Jeanine Beck in their first lives. From Florida and Northern Ireland respectively, they are a married couple within the game. In March 2008 they decided to open a club and live event venue because of their shared passion for music. They wanted a grand opening that would attract crowds and that had some level of meaning; hence they did their research and chose WFWO as partners.
WFWO is a Non - Governmental Organization (NGO). It is an Italian-based non-profit organization, operating in Italy and internationally. WFWO was launched on 16 October 2001, on the occasion of World Food Day, and established in 2002, and is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC – DESA - UN NGO Section at the United Nations - New York - USA). ECOSOC is the Principal Organisation to Coordinate the Economic and Social Council work of the United Nations and the Specialized Agencies and International Institutions.
WFWO works with people in following countries: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America to improve their quality of life through lasting improvements to education, health, poverty, drinking water, using local skills and practical, sustainable technologies to support development projects on relief & rehabilitations programs, including lending programs for 2007/2011, in developing countries around the world.
The projects are divided into five categories:
> Emergencies Operations Programs (EOP)
> Relief & Rehabilitation Programs (RRP)
> Sustainable Development Projects (SDP)
> Special Operations Programs (SOP)
> Advocacy Operations Programs (AOP)
With the help of Second Life residents, we can make a difference to some of the 1.2 billion people suffering in the world today
EVENT INFORMATION:
The grand opening of The Warehouse ! will be on Saturday 26th April and will feature DJs and Live musicians that excel in their field in SL. Eight hours of entertainment for the SL public. Performers have donated their time for the charity event and Brian and Jeanine hope to raise as much as possible for WFWO.
The times of the event will be as follows:
10am – 6pm PST (Second Life time)
1pm – 9pm EST
6pm – 2am GMT (UK)
7pm – 3am European
(I hope those reading this can find their times in relation to these 4 time zones.)
Brian and Jeanine are also willing to take e-mails should you wish to show your support:
slthewarehouse@
If you would like to attend the opening event on the day it is possible to create an account for yourself for free at www.secondlife.com. You will then need to check system requirements of your PC or laptop and download the game itself. Upon logging in, choose the SEARCH option on the bottom pane of the screen and search for Bryonie Alcott or Brian33 Rubble in the PEOPLE section. Send an Instant Message (IM) for help from them.
