“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 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.