Article by DavidHawk Actor
Pictures provided by Ipunin Pera, Carmichael Caudron & OI Magazine photographer Sita Writer
Pictures provided by Ipunin Pera, Carmichael Caudron & OI Magazine photographer Sita Writer
When
I arrived at the Gardens of Absentia, I was immediately surrounded by
one of the lush settings I've seen in Second Life™. With the greeting
area at the landing point and a donation box just down the stone path,
it's easy to see why they are here.
The
Gardens of Absentia is an area dedicated to the awareness and charity
funding cancer research. It was founded by Ipunin Pera and Filo Tani,
both of whom are open and welcoming to everyone who visits. They
started the area because everyone knows someone who has dealt with
cancer or they, personally, have dealt with it. Ipunin said it doesn't
matter if they're fighting the fight, supporting friends and family or
simply in memorial, the Gardens is a place where people can come and
have a positive experience like lighting candles for their loved ones.
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| one of the centers with ribbons supplied with information about the type of cancer and a donation box to those who wish to donate for the causes (breast cancer ribbon info center pictured here) |
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| the leukemia ribbon info center |
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| Pancreatic ribbon center (and then there are stomach,colon,ovarian and lung cancer ribbons as well in the sim) |
One
thing I found very cool as soon as I arrived was a serene waterfall and
in the pool were water lanterns. Each a varied shade of pink and
purple, left by visitors with little prayers and blessings. Walking
away from the waterfall, the Gardens are proudly showing a wide variety
of cancer ribbons. Clicking on the little shrine below each ribbon
gives the visitor an overview of the cancer its designated for as well
as symptoms, treatment and even a notecard for more information. Ipunin
told me that her favorite is the Pancreatic Cancer area, it was an area
she holds very near her heart because her father passed away from that
disease over two years ago. There, she placed a statue of a father and
daughter as well as a picture of her father and herself.
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| Statue dedicated to pancreatic cancer to Ipunin's real life father |
The
sim is a homestead that dedicated approximately 50% of its area to
cancer awareness. Every month, the Garden hosts an event where the
flying of paper lanterns happens.Other than that, there are no
specific events that happen on the sim because of the limited space and
prims. The Gardens has been around for four years now and even the
music playing through the stream is selected by Filo and Ipunin for the
guests that stop by.
The
Gardens are have two different types of donation boxes. One that helps
offset the cost of the sim and one that goes to funding Ipunin's Breast
Cancer Walk, which they wait til right before the walk to transfer the L$
into RL money due to the fees Linden Lab™ and PayPal™ charge. There is
also a website if anyone wants to donate directly to the funds. http://www.the3day.org/goto/PoolOfHopeCharity
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| Ipunin in her giveaway outfit dedicated to Breast Cancer awareness |
Over
the past four years, the Gardens has helped raise approximately $L
2,000,000 with the help of talented artists and performers in SL. If
you have the itch to assist in the fight against Cancer, please contact
Ipunin Pera or Filo Tani. The Gardens does enjoy working with others to
hold events, including a large event in 2010 with Costa Rica Sims™, Mad
Designs™ and BOSL™. They have helped all sorts of events like date
auctions, concerts and designer showcases.
The
Gardens of Absentia group is an open group, anyone can join but it
isn't currently linked to any cancer awareness groups in RL. Most of
their direct efforts are towards the Susan G. Komen 60 miles walk in
3-Days charity™ and they want to hold walks every June and October.
The
sim succeeds with donations from caring individuals like you, who
realize that cancer affects everyone. Either you personally will have
it or someone close to you will deal with it.
There is no such thing as caring too much or praying too hard. Every little bit helps and everyone is a part of that.
Additional pictures of areas on the sim:
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| Fantasy gardens section |
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| The lighthouse |
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| Pool of Hope and the statue dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness and survivors |
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| Lastly, the Tiki relaxation area |
