[A message from Oldesoul Eldemar, ONE TEAM Initiative Lead for Fantasy Faire 2019]
Dr. Gordy Klatt, the founder of Relay For Life said it best. “One person can make a difference.”
Fairelanders know this is true. We also know that as we join together each year, we become part of something much bigger than any one of us alone can be. Whether we are Relaying in the physical world or a virtual world, whether by a donation or a kind word, we are all working together. This is the true meaning of ONE TEAM. It’s about each of us choosing to make a difference and the great good which can then be achieved. It’s about our fellowship with one another and the greater good our unity then makes manifest.
We support one another and by doing so ONE TEAM becomes more than label, more than an abstract idea. It becomes measurable. It becomes real.
This year, six RFL Teams joined with Fantasy Faire to be part of our One Team Initiative: Team Bonanza Country RFL, Fly For Life, Game of Thrones Reborn RFL, Roos With a Dream, Soul Sisters N FaMiLy, and We are Dragons. They were joined by our returning Anchor Teams, Team ACTS, Team Cure Chasers and Team Shadow. The Fairelands want to thank these nine teams for all the wonderful, immersive experiences they helped us to create. Together, we all learned more about the ACS’s Global Initiatives and we worked together to support and expand that vital work. We rolled up our sleeves, fixed our eyes on a mighty goal and helped to finish what the Fairelands set out to do last year. Together, we helped Build Hope a Home in Kenya.
For the eleven days of the Faire, our nine ONE TEAM Initiative Partners held events and raised money for Fantasy Faire. On the twelfth day, the Faire gave back. L$257,700 was raised for those nine teams. For ten hours, five DJs kept the party going strong. They represented the full array of leadership that also embodies the ONE TEAM Spirit. From Fantasy Faire, Elizabeth Tinsley, David Abbot and Zander Greene each offered sets in tribute to our ONE TEAM Partners. Representing the ACS Mission Leadership in Second Life, Nuala Maracas then joined them to do the same. And finally, the RFL of SL Leadership was represented by Gem Sunkiller to finish off this remarkable day of celebration, generosity and unity.
Fantasy Faire and our nine ONE TEAM Partners raised a staggering sum in 2019. But no matter which team the totals were applied to, in the end all of it goes to help our friends and at the American Cancer Society in their mission to help more of our friends in Kenya. We are a global community reaching out to a global community to help solve a global challenge. That is why the Kenyatta National Hospital Hope Hostel will be a reality.
Fantasy Faire is only possible because 750 people work together to ensure that the ONE TEAM spirit is more than just an idea. It’s a plan, one that depends on each and every one of us. We are Teams, Organizers, Builders, Sponsors, Creators, Artists, DJs, Performers, Photographers, Bloggers, Website Gurus, Tabletop Gamers, Lit Fest Presenters, Role-Players, Quest Developers, Jail and Bail Participants, the Pawlice, Fantasy Faire Radio, Survivors and Caregivers. As ONE TEAM, we unite to help The American Cancer Society in its global mission: to save lives, celebrate lives, and to lead the fight for a world without cancer.
We’re all proud of our respective teams, but ultimately, we know that we are actually part of ONE TEAM called Relay For Life. We’re on Gordy’s team because he showed us what we can do when we stand shoulder to shoulder. He showed us what we can achieve when we believe in one another. One person can indeed make a difference. A world of such people united can change the world for the better.
We may arrive from different directions, but we depart together for the same destination on the global “cool bus” that is Relay For Life. And we are All Aboard! For A Cure!
Thank you!
Oldesoul
