Mom once asked me if Second Life was a cult. In any case, it looks like people are doing good things with it.
Here's a story about how the American Cancer Society brought their Relay For Life walk-a-thon into Second Life and raised $40,000.
Created by more than 30 volunteers, this year's virtual Relay For Life
track walked through representations of real-world places like Mexico,
New York City, Paris, Sweden, and South Africa. Avatars encountered
opportunities along the way to have fun while donating money - lighting
virtual luminaria, and participating in events such as sky diving off
of the Eiffel Tower. Participants exchanged US dollars for "Linden
dollars," Second Life’s unique currency, by purchasing Linden dollars
online. Following the event, Linden dollars are converted back to real
US dollars.
I bring this up because my family, via the Buon Tempo Club's involvement, are strong supporters of Relay For Life.
One may sneer at the fact that a Second Life participant in a charity walk-a-thon doesn't get the experience of camping out and, well, any cardiovascular benefit whatsoever. Then again, $40,000 is $40,000 to the ACS.