RFL NEWS: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Meet the ‘Seasons of Hope’ KittyCatS!

Relay For Life® of Second Life® is thrilled to announce that KittyCatS! has created a special RFL of SL ‘Seasons of Hope’ breedable KittyCatS! collection to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Looking adorable and cute, the special ‘Seasons of Hope’ themed kitties were presented at the Home Expo on Saturday May 14. They will be on sale right through to Relay weekend in July.

Callie Cline and Equinox Pinion of KittyCatS presented the new kitties on the Home Expo’s Main Stage at 12:30pm SLT on Saturday May 14, followed by a live music concert with Mankind Tracer.

This marks the first time that RFL of SL has joined in a partnership of this type and the RFL of SL committee looks forward to the KittyCatS’ presence at Relay team events, at the Home Expo, and at Relay weekend, right alongside the Linden Bears.

‘We’re really honoured to have been asked to partner with RFL and to be a sponsor at the Home Expo’ says Callie Cline. ‘It’s very exciting for the pet and breedables community as a whole, as well.

‘Creating these cats was a really touching experience for me as I have had a lot of people in my life die from cancer and in making these cats I thought of them and how they had impacted my life. So in each of these cats is a bit of some pretty amazing people who truly were with me during many seasons of my life and given me a lot of hope.’

‘People love animals and they bring so much joy into the world. We hope our contribution will provide meaning and help RFL of SL with its goals’ says Equinox Pinion.

Home Expo coordinator, Nikki Mathieson said: ‘It’s exciting when talented, creative people come together to put their very best work out there for others to enjoy, while benefiting such an important cause.

‘KittyCatS! have grown quickly in popularity since their launch in February. I’m confident that the RFL of SL KittyCat will bring a diverse and new group of visitors to the Expo and help us to expand its reach to a larger variety of Second Lifers.’

Relay For Life of Second Life Event Chair MamaP Beerbaum added: ‘I cannot wait to get mine! Thank you so much Callie, Equinox and Dennis for partnering with us. I am so grateful to you for supporting our efforts in SL with such enthusiasm and generosity!’

This year marks the fourth anniversary of the Home Garden & Patio Expo benefiting Relay For Life of Second Life. The 2011 Expo opened on Friday, May 13 at noon and will remain open 24 hours each day until it closes on May 22 at 10pm SLT . This year’s Expo spans TEN Second Life sims, with over 100 exhibits, more entertainment and more ways to benefit Relay For Life, too!

For more information about KittyCatS! visit www.KittyCatS.biz

To find out all about this year’s Home & Garden Expo, visit http://slhomegardenpatioexpo.wordpress.com/

About Relay For Life of Second Life

Relay For Life® is the signature fundraiser of the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) is an annual activity that takes place in Second Life® in July each year. Volunteers form or join teams to have fun while fundraising and raising awareness from mid-March through mid-July. In July teams build campsites and walk a track, just like in a real world Relay. The main RFL of SL track event this year will take place on July 16-17. We will walk a virtual track for 24 hours, just like in a real world Relay For Life. Team members build and gather at their team campsites, enjoy live music, participate in fun events, and explore the many Relay sims and the incredible builds by some of Second Life’s top designers, as the event runs overnight and into the next morning.

In 2010 Relay For Life of Second Life attracted more than 120 teams with participants from over 30 countries, held over 300 team fundraising events between March and July, and raised over US$222,000 (that’s REAL US dollars) for cancer research and education. The funds raised go to research, advocacy, patient services and programs, with 12-15% going to international projects. Just as in the real world, RFL of SL is an international event.