Valhalla Outlaws MC’s Enchanting Winter Wonderland

December 5, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

“Truly, I am so very grateful to the people and sponsors who help us make this event possible. I’ve been asked many times why I focus on doing charity in SL, when I could just drop some cash off or send some. And the reason I bust my butt in here is simple. Or to me it’s because not everyone can just drop $50 in a donation jar. But most people can drop $50L in one.” ~ Jayda Ronin

Recently, I was contacted by Jayda Ronin (jayda lycheborne), because her motorcycle club was looking for a full prim sim to hold their annual Toys For Tots charity event. ZoHa Boa, the owner of ZoHa Islands, graciously agreed to rent the land to her at a reduced price as a contribution to their charitable event. I put her in touch with a salesperson at ZoHa Islands and she got Jayda all set up with her land. To visit the sim, click on the SLURL here.

Jayda’s elves worked long, hard hours and transformed this sim into an amazing, wonderous Winter Wonderland in only four days!

This sim isn’t open to the general public until Friday, Dec. 5th at Noon SLT. I was fortunate enough to be invited early and was given a tour and a sneak peek of this amazing sim. When I first landed, I was enchanted! This wonderful, magical place truly embodies the spirit of the Christmas season. The sim is positively gorgeous. The windlight setting, the snow, the builds, the snow (I liked the snow; can you tell??) — it was breathtaking. I shivered in RL because it was so realistic.

Jayda Ronin

Jayda is very passionate about her charitable work. As founder and president of the Valhalla Outlaws Motorcycle Club (VOMC), she is the heart of this organization. She is tough on the outside, but inside she has a heart of gold. She will tell you herself, “I’m an asshole… but I’m the nicest asshole you’ll ever meet… and I feel very strongly about helping the underdog.”

This humble woman brushes off any attempt to give her credit for the charitable work that the VOMC does. “My crew will tell you it’s mostly me, but I say it’s a group effort. Because I wouldn’t be able to do what I do, without them.”

Jayda formed the VOMC in 2011. Jayda states: “I formed the VOMC with my former partner and still one of my best friends . . . and our goal when we made the MC was for the purpose of giving back. We started as a group of about 12 DJ’s and a few creators who wanted to give back, so that collectively we did something in SL that wasn’t all about us.”

The VOMC holds rallies for charities all year long. “We do Toys for Tots every year at this time, and we do NAMI.org annually as well, which is the National Alliance for Mental Illness. Then we participate in RFL, and we’ve done WarChild.org, the BCA Rockfest for Breast Cancer etc. Basically when we aren’t doing our own big ones, we support the others. Several of us help out Soco with her Autism one.” Jayda says.

Jayda credits Nan Ember of Nanscapes as the genius behind the creation. Nan’s profile states simply: “I do sim landscaping. If you are interested please contact me for pictures of my work.” Having seen the transformation of this sim in only four days, I would highly recommend her work. But don’t take my word for it; come see the Winter Wonderland for yourself! (this SLURL won’t be valid until Noon on Friday, Dec. 5th, don’t forget!).

The Winter Wonderland will be open December 5th through December 14th. All sorts of events are planned (see schedule later in this post) but if you want to visit the sim between events, the public is warmly welcome. Highlights of things to do include:

• Carriage rides
• Flying reindeer that are ride-able (and steer-able!)
• A platform in the sky for bowl sleds to ride and shoot across the ice
• A huge frozen pond for skating, hot chocolate, and of course snowball throwing

There are so many spots to stop and enjoy a little peace and tranquility. This sim has an amazing feel of winter, with ice and swirling, falling snow! There is a photo contest that is going to be held for the duration of the Rally. There will also be three big production concerts, as well:

• In This Moment
• Celebrity Christmas
• Disney on Ice.

There is also some fun-filled Gachas, and all proceeds go to Toys for Tots. And of course there are Toys For Tots donation kiosks scattered throughout the sim.

The Photo Contest Boards are at the landing point of the sim. There is a cost of L$10 to enter, and L$10 to vote. Vote as often as you’d like, but you can’t vote for yourself. There will be a minimum of L$1,000 given for first place. Make sure you thoroughly explore the sim, as there are LOTS of places to take pictures. This contest is open to ALL ages. Please remember this is a General Sim and open to ALL. (in other words, keep your bits covered).

Please follow these simple rules:

• Photos must be taken on the VOMC Winter Wonderland sim, and it CANNOT BE PHOTOSHOPPED. You may use windlight settings.
• Only 1 entry per person

During the live Dj events, gift cards and prizes from the event’s sponsors will be handed out to those who have dressed in the theme of the event. There are no contest boards. Everyone gets a treat! ‘Tis the Season!

EVENT SCHEDULE:
All times are SLT

Friday, Dec 5th
4-6pm – DJ Reb Redgrave – Come as you are
6pm – In This Moment Concert
7:30pm – Seven Ronin

Saturday, Dec 6th
4-6pm – DJ Canuck – Best in Silver & Gold
6-8pm – DJ Nan Ember – Best in White

Sunday, Dec 7th
4-6pm – DJ Skokamo Auer – Best in Christmas Elves
6-8pm – DJ Silky Lioncourt – Best in Winter Wear

Monday, Dec 8th
4-6pm – DJ Beauwolf Wilder – Best in Nutcracker
6-8pm – DJ Carina Darkfury – Best in Blue & Silver

Tuesday, Dec 9th
4-6pm – DJ Beauwolf Wilder – Best in Santa’s Workshop
6-8pm – DJ Mukren Kush – Best in Ugly Sweater

Wednesday, Dec 10th
4-6pm – DJ Jimmmy Sharktooth – Best Wrapped
6-8pm – DJ Shealynn Cardone – Best in Peppermint

Thursday, Dec 11th
4-6pm – DJ Shibari Metall – BEST IN 80’s Christmas ( attire )
6-8pm – DJ Shealynn Cardone – Best in Holiday Hats

Friday, Dec 12th
4-6pm – DJ Mukren Kush – Best in Red and Gold
6pm — Celebrity Christmas Concert Tribute

Saturday, Dec 13th
4-6pm – DJ Trouble ( Axl Berkmans ) – Best in Merry Mint ( green & white )
6pm – Disney On Ice Tribute

Sunday, Dec 14th – LAST RALLY DAY!
4-6pm DJ Khor – BAD SANTA Event
6-8pm – Winter Formal and Closing Party – DJ Carina Darkfury.

Below are some pictures that I took while on the sim. But truly you must visit this amazing place in person. And drop some Lindens in the donation kiosks while you’re there.

For more information or inquiries, please contact Jayda Ronin in-world.

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media Manager.

Toys For Tots Kiosk Locations at ZoHa Islands

November 26, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

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.

Click on the name for the SLURL

• R*T Sunset Mansion: Kiosk is located in the gaming area

• 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.

• Never B Solo Adoption Agency: SweetBlaze Brianna is the owner.

• 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.

• Ukolji Dance Club & Shopping Mall

• R*T Sunset Mansion: Kiosk is in the gaming area.

• Cake Fox (main store): She has a special charity skybox and that is where the Toys For Tots kiosk is located.

• ZoHa Islands Main Tier Payment Center and Real Estate Office

• ZoHa Islands Tier Payment Center and Business District Office

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

Toys for Tots in Second Life

November 20, 2014 by ZoHa Islands

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:

On the Toys For Tots in Second Life website, Rocky Hillburton, Toys 4 Tots of SL CEO tells about the Toys For Tots program:

“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.