Second Life's Home and Garden Expo 2021

One of my favorite events of the year is opening TODAY!!!  Second Life's Home and Garden Expo is now open.  There are nine regions this year all filled with tons of things to see, do and purchase.  Designers bring out their best and all or part of the sales benefit the American Cancer Society.

Today I am wearing Marshmello Mesh Head & Dance as well as the Marshmello Portable DJ Booth by D3 Store that you can find on Hope 7.  I am celebrating this wonderful event opening today by rocking out as Marshmello.  People participate in this event as vendors or as relay teams.  Below is Ertina Loopens story and how her memorial foundation came to be.  Please take a moment to read this touching tribute.

The Ertina Loopen Memorial Foundation supports the American Cancer Society (ACS) as a tribute to Ertina Loopen, a Second Life resident from 2010-2020.  Tina as her friends knew her was a Relay for Life (RFL) volunteer for seven years before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.  Here is her story from the foundation founder Journey Texan, “The Foundation was created after she passed away in the physical world due to the chemotherapy that was used to treat her single, small breast cancer lump that never grew nor spread after it was first discovered only six months earlier.

In Second Life, Tina was a supporter of and volunteer for the American Cancer Society through Relay For Life activities and events. Her efforts in Second Life impacted the lives of people both in Second Life and the physical world. By day, she was an elementary school teacher who served her local community for thirty years by working hard to educate and improve the lives of her students. Many do not know, however, that in the last seven years of her life, she would return home after work each day to connect with and improve the lives of others in locations around the world by working with various groups and organizations, not the least of which was the American Cancer Society. Late into the evenings, she generously volunteered her personal time and effort in her own quiet way to help raise tens of thousands of dollars each year for cancer research, education and services for people who would never know her. 

Tina was an incredibly humble, sincere and thoughtful person. She had a big heart and will be greatly missed, not only by her closest friends and family members, but also by countless others who could have benefited from the selfless contributions she made every day to help make us and the world a better place.”  Her friends created this foundation to both remind us of Tina's gentle friendship while with us, as well as to help fulfill her desire to "do more" for others.  If you would like to consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society as a tribute to Ertina Loopen, please visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ErtinaLoopenMemorialFoundation.

In 2021, the Foundation said it would host its second "Walk the Loop[en]"commemorative event during the first weekend of August.  “The 2-hour couple's walk will enable participants to enjoy lovely views of the Ville de Coeur regions that include a quaint village and surrounding countryside inspired by the real-life French Riviera. It was a meaningful anniversary celebration walk that Tina looked forward to sharing with her partner every year.   The walking event offers an opportunity for participants to make a charitable donation to the ACS. But more importantly, it emphasizes the importance of taking time to celebrate the relationships that they have. Walk together with your special someone. Or use it as a way to introduce yourself and get to know someone new. Take time out from your usual activities to see and do something that can be rewarding in a unique and memorable way."  Check for more information on the foundations Flickr.