We have some amazing residents and merchants at ZoHa Islands. Several merchants who have businesses on ZoHa Islands land or in the business district have graciously offered to place Toys For Tots Kiosks in their stores. Please stop by and drop some lindens in their kiosks, and have a look around their stores. We have some amazing creators at ZoHa Islands, and we can’t wait to show them off.
We also have Toys For Tots donation kiosks at both ZoHa Island tier payment offices.
• Designer City: Their Christmas sim opens December 1st, but there are currently some awesome little free gifts and Toys For Tots. There shall be more added each weekend up until December – then the sim will be full of goodies.
• Daddy-O’s Entertainment Area and Shops: They will having a few Toys For Tots Events, also. Please go to their store for more information, or contact Mark Ussy in-world.
We will be adding locations as they are given to us. If you have a kiosk at your store and wish to be included in this list, please IM me or contact Deelish Wishbringer in-world.
Please support these ZoHa Islands business merchants and the Toys For Tots charity.
For our US residents and merchants, we at ZoHa Islands wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, Social Media Manager
Second Life is famous for it’s ability to raise money for various causes — be it feeding hungry children in Africa with Feed A Smile, or raising money for cancer research for Relay for Life. These causes raise serious RL money in SL by holding periodic fundraisers. One of those that is most popular this time of year is Toys For Tots (TFT).
Obviously Toys For Tots is a RL charity that has been around for years. You can see the video about the beginnings of Toys For Tots and how US Marine Corp Cpl. Gary Miller began this wonderful charity. It’s a very touching story. Here’s the video:
“Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks.
The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity located in Triangle, Virginia, serves to fund, raise funds for, and support the program.
“Toys for Tots began as a Los Angeles charitable effort in 1947. William Hendricks was inspired by his wife Diane when she tried to donate a homemade Raggedy Ann doll to a needy child but could find no organization to do so. At her suggestion he gathered a group of local Marine reservists, including Lieutenant Colonel John Hampton, who coordinated and collected some 5,000 toys for local children that year from collection bins placed outside of Warner Bros. movie theaters. Their efforts were so successful that, in 1948, Toys for Tots was launched as a national campaign. Hendricks used his position as director of Public Relations for Warner Brothers Studio to enlist celebrity support, as well as have Walt Disney Studios design the red toy train logo.
“Until 1979, Marine reservists (frequently in their dress blue uniforms) and volunteers would collect and refurbish used toys. In 1980, only new toys were accepted, as reservists were no longer able to dedicate drill hours to refurbish toys, as well as legal concerns and the mixed message of giving hand-me-downs as a message of hope.
“In 1991, the Secretary of Defense authorized the creation and affiliation with the non-profit charity foundation. In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved Toys for Tots as an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.
“Noting in 1996 that many communities did not have a Marine reservist presence, the commander of Marine Forces Reserve authorized Marine Corps League detachments and other local organizations to fill the gaps in toy collection and distribution. In 2009, the program received support from Michelle Obama, who placed the first collection box at the White House.
“As of 2009, the Toys for Tots Program and Foundation have collected and distributed almost five hundred million toys. In December 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama took part in a Toys for Tots activity at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
“As for Toys 4 Tots in Second Life, this is our 6th year. We started with a meager undertaking with the live music groups and venues and raised $2500.00 USD. Toys 4 Tots in SL was founded by Pat Wunderland of Wunderland Records, who came up with the idea to help all we could by using the live music talents to create a CD to give with a donation. It was figured that $500L would buy one toy in RL and that was the set price of the CD donation. The second year became more successful and we gained more musicians and venues in our endeavors. Since the 3rd year, Rocky Hillburton, of Smokin’ ACEs, took the reigns and we started venturing into a different direction with the breedables and bikes. In the 4 years we have endorsed this program we have raised over $60,000.00 USD for Toys 4 Tots. Our excitement has grown this year with our first annual expo. There has been some hurdles that we have had to overcome and we know that next year will be an even bigger success with the knowledge we have learned this year. We cannot thank you enough for all your support in such a great organization.
“Mission:
The mission of the program ‘is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.” The stated goal is to “deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.’ ”
On November 1st, the 6th Annual 2014 Second Life Toys for Tots Drive officially began. This year the collaborative effort of Second Life builders, scripters, venue owners, musicians, entertainers and residents promises to be bigger and better than ever.
Amaretto & KittyCats Breedables will kickoff the yearly campaign this year by hosting the SL Toys for Tots Breedables Expo & Fair. The nine day affair (Nov 15th thru Nov 23rd) will feature some of Second Life’s top breedables, many of whom will offer a limited edition Toys for Tots creations. Last year’s Expo was a resounding success, adding over L$1,600,000 to the Toys for Tots coffers. So far this year, L$1,729,665 has been donated — which is roughly $6,919 USD!
Just as the five previous years, Second Life entertainers have come together and donated their time and talent in the production of a Christmas CD that will be given to anyone who makes a donation to any kiosk. For information about the CD and those artists participating, click here.
ZoHa Islands is proud to be a participant in the Toys For Tots fundraising program. You can find donation kiosks in the main ZoHa Islands Sales Office, and the business district sales office, and in our very own Deelish Wishbringer’s store here.
If you have a business anywhere in ZoHa Islands, please contact Deelish Wishbringer in-world and she can make sure you get a kiosk for your store. I will be happy to add names and SLURLS to your business to a post for all participating merchants.
Here are some pics I took at the Breedables Expo and Fair, which runs through November 23rd. You can click to enlarge the pictures.
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZoHa Islands Social Media Manager
If you weren’t able to attend, you really missed out on a fabulous celebration! ZoHa Islands’ own DeeLish Wishbringer planned and executed and fabulous day of amazing live singers, a tribute band, and a DJ for eight straight hours. The stage and landscaping were amazing and really made for a fun atmosphere and lots of partying and music!
It was a great line up of music from several different genres of music. First we kicked off the event at Noon with Gweeb, a live musician who sang a variety of songs for our enjoyment. Our second entertainer was a no-show, and so Gweeb graciously stayed for a second hour. His gentle humor and wonderful songs made for a fun time.
At 3pm, Quartz took over the stage and entertained us with his rockin’ tunes. He is fun to listen to, and had some great music.
After Quartz, we were entertained by Wytchwhisper, who was a replacement for another artist who had to cancel at the last minute. We appreciate Wytch stepping in to fill in for us. Her unique music and silly humor was very entertaining.
At 4pm, the stage was set for Lightning Strikes, a tribute band who played head-banging tunes by Black Label Society. They rocked the stage until 5:30 and provided a wonderful show.
DJ Buzrd Draconia took over the mic and brought us some classic rock tunes to round out the evening. Those who didn’t stick around for DJ Buz missed out on a lot of awesome, rockin’ tunes. He spun his music until 8pm and finished up a fabulous day of rockin’ entertainment.
Thank you to Dee for pulling together this amazing day. Thank you one and all who attended the event.
I pulled together some video I took throughout the day. I tried to include an entire song from each entertainer. I don’t do machinima; this is strictly a capture from the Xplit Gamecaster, so it’s not as smooth as machinima is, but it gets the job done. It was long enough that I had to split it into two videos.
I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to seeing everyone next fall as we celebrate our 8th anniversary!
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZoHa Islands Social Media Manager
Here are some pics of the venue that our awesome ZoHa Islands staff are working on! They’re polishing the pixels and getting ready to party this weekend!
You don’t have to be a resident of ZoHa Islands to attend. Please come; and invite your friends! It’s gonna be a blast!
See you Saturday!!
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZoHa Islands Social Media Manager
We are very excited to announce that ZoHa Islands is having an Anniversary Blowout!
Date: Saturday, Nov 1, 2014
Time: Noon to 8pm SLT
We want to accommodate all time zones, so we are running this party for eight solid hours! Please join us for this fabulous line up of live musicians, DJ and tribute band!! Come party with us and rock your pixels off! We are celebrating!!
Here is the entertainment line-up:
12 Noon to 1pm SLT: Gweeb Resident (live)
1pm to 2pm SLT: Luvofmusic Resident (live)
2pm to 3pm SLT: qqquartzzz Resident (live)
3pm to 4pm SLT ℳƛƔЄƝƝ ӇƲƝƬЄR (mavenn) (live)
4pm to 5:30pm SLT: Malia Gustafson (Malia Skytower)-Lightning strikes tribute band
5:30pm to 8pm SLT: DJ Buzrd (buzrd.draconia) awesome and amazing DJ
Kudos to our awesome Deelish Wishbringer for pulling this huge event together! Dee is our Business District Manager. Please be sure and see her to place your business in this amazing area.
Here is some information on some of the artists scheduled to play:
qqquartzzz Resident:
Quartz is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician who performs all his shows with passion and an emotional connection to the music he sings. Quartz plays keyboard, lead, bass and acoustic guitar. His genre is typically classic and progressive rock, from the cassette years to now, and he brings a repertoire of over 200 songs including his own compositions. He sings with backtracks or purely acoustic; both are excellent. In addition, he also does an amazing live tribute to Elton John show.
Luvofmusic Resident:
Luvofmusic was born and raised in Chi-Town (Chicago, Illinois). Being a real life singer, she brings experience and a professional feel to her SL gigs. She started singing at a young age and had a few generations of music playing all the time in the house. Some of her influences include, Amy Winehouse, Erykah Badu, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and Sam Cooke, just to name a few. She loves singing Jazz, Blues, R&B, Rock & Roll and some Pop. She may even throw in a country songs!
We will post the location as it gets closer but please put this on your calendar and come celebrate with us!!
I remain respectfully yours,
Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media Manager
We have some amazing residents and merchants at ZoHa Islands. Several merchants who have businesses on ZoHa Islands land or in the business district have graciously offered to place Toys For Tots Kiosks in their stores. Please stop by and drop some lindens in their kiosks, and have a look around their stores. We have some amazing creators at ZoHa Islands, and we can’t wait to show them off.
