Announcement From The Safe Waters Foundation

 

2021 has passed and we are looking forward into 2022:  Let's name this  the year of COMING TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF OUR UNDERSEA COMMUNITY.  Feel free to share this with other sea related groups - together we can continue to inject fun and energy to the sea parts of Second Life.  We hope you visit all the undersea spots - and come to Safe Waters Foundation to to find underwater resources, other sea folk, some fun and to help others in the community!

2021 was a great year for underwater seafolk communities.  Safe Waters Foundation  had a huge response to our Fantasy Faire involvement and experienced a big jump in traffic.  Traffic, as always goes in cycles -  we continue to encourage the  involvement of people and groups coming into SL and into SWF lands to take advantage of our resources.  

JustaChicky Goldshark has emerged as a solid officer for SWF and we soon will have another officer you all know - JewelMermaid, who owns the Pied Piper Mermaid Shop .  Jewel leads the concierge team - a huge sub-group of SWF that attempts to greet and help people as they come to a SWF booth (at special events) and to our headquarters location (contact Jewel if you'd like to become a SWF Concierge).

The Saturday gathering continues to be a strong weekly connection for us (thanks to Miranda and Sweete) - and a small  gathering I call "Grace Gather" now meets on Wednesdays 4:30pm to chat and go tour one of the SWF hangouts.

As usual, the winter months have been slow - but that's given us an opportunity to reflect and look for where we can improve in serving our mission.

We are excited to tell you that there are some remodeling and  upgrades coming to the Safe Waters Headquarters, Fanci's Deep Mer Mall and the Fanci's Deep Residential areas.  Adboards are being updated and we'll be offering some special rates to get people to restart there.  A very generous, talented builder team has stepped up to lead the rebuilds you will be seeing soon.   We intend to participate in Fantasy Faire again this year and will be working to strengthen our concierge team.  We are working on very fun ideas and yet still maintain that we want SWF HQ to be a place for you to go find all the fun under the sea in Second Life.  We are a hub for finding fun (but having fun doing it!)

So, while our areas have a bit of dust and disarray right now - please know that good things are in development.  You are invited to come to the Saturday gatherings as we'll try to have updates for you there as things start to happen.  We do need help in making it happen - I think right now we need volunteers for short term projects, and some quality full perm gifts if any of you like to build and share.  How can you help our community?  Things only happen when we all come together to help - please join us as we venture hopefully into a new year!

Sincerely,
GraceSWF Wrigglesworth
Founder and CEO
Safe Waters Foundation

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Safe Waters Foundation Mission statement: Supporting the development of harmony and safety for merfolk and sea folk of Second Life. Bringing together and being a resource for designers, retailers, sims, merrow, mermen, mermaids, sirens, cetaceans, cephalopods, other aquatics and lovers of same in an environment that encourages diversity and awareness of RL ecological issues.

SWF Goals:
- To assist those considering an underwater life
- To increase awareness in the general public that there is an underwater option
- To make mer resources (events, projects, groups, retailers, sims, designers) visible and easily accessible
- To assist, as possible, with the viability of mer resources so they may continue to be available to the community
- To promote the conservation of RL oceans, lakes and waterways and the nature that relies on them

Please visit the SWF web page at: http://www.safewatersfoundation.com/

SWF Headquarters:   http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Union%20Passage/212/223/4

Read about all things mermaid at:  http://cynthiamermaid.blogspot.com/
 

Valentine Dance by the Safe Waters Foundation

With Valentines Day this week, there's been quite a few Valentine parties. But how many can boast being a mermaid party? On Sunday February 11, there was a Valentines Day dance organized by the Safe Waters Foundation, held at Antiquity MarieGalante, at the Water's Edge Merhaven.

Tonight, Antiquity and Safe Waters Foundation present a Valentine Dance!  Bring your special someone, or meet them here!  Music by DJ Cynthia Maine, the Gold Mermaid.  All are welcome!

The party was held over a heart-shaped dance floor underwater on the sea bottom. As the announcement stated, not everyone whom attended had a tail and fins. And some who were, it was for the occasion, "This is a fun event.  And I do not get very often to be a mer." DJ Cynthia played songs like the theme from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On," and Elvis Presley's "Burning Love."

I was there only a brief time, but was around long enough to hear some of the conversation. "ala everyone." "... how have you been?" "Just as fine as frog hair, how about you?" "Frogs have hair?" "They do but its very very fine." "Only if they grab it from somebody's comb." "They buy little froggy wigs."

The Safe Water Foundation. led by GraceSWF Wrigglesworth, is the largest group of mermaids and mermen, or merfolk as they're sometimes called, in Second Life. For more information about them, check their website: http://www.goldmermaid.com/SWF/ .

Bixyl Shuftan

Editor To Be Guest Speaker at Safe Waters Foundation Today

Yours truly, Bixyl Shuftan, will be the guest speaker at the Safe Waters Foundation's mer Chat Pavilion today. The topic, at least which I'll be speaking about, is about writing for an online newsletter, or blog. Among the people there, Grace Wrigglesworth, the head of the Safe Waters Foundation, and Barbie Alchemi of Creations for Parkinson's.

The discussion is at 1PM SL time.

Mer Chat Pavilion  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Union%20Passage/96/229/1

Gentle Heron at the Safe Water Foundation's "Let's Mertalk"

Every other Saturday at the bottom of the Union Passage sim, the Safe Water Foundation holds their "Let's Mertalk" discussion. Last month on June 10, the discussion had Gentle Heron of Virtual Ability as the featured speaker, talking about community gateways, which had recently been in the news when Linden Lab announced their program for them was officially returning. Gentle talked about the one at her area, describing how it worked and how it was set up with people with disabilities in mind.

Read the story in Events.

Announcement: Open Merfolk Dance Saturday July 8

Safe Waters Foundation is happy to announce an Open Merfolk Dance with the lovely Cynthia Maine (Mermaid DJ) spinning tunes.

We are publicizing outside of Safe Waters Foundation and are hoping to get some curious legged folk in - can you come to show them the variety of our community and show them to our transformation center in headquarters if needed?  We also have free diving outfit up there - our builder is spiffing the place up.

Great tunes - come and dance and perhaps introduce some people to SL Underwater!

Here is how it is going out to the public:  DANCE LIKE A MERMAID (OR MERMAN)

Yes, we are dancing underwater and we will happily help you find underwater attire if you need any. There are free tails available as well as diving equipment or a little breathing bubble for your head. Or just come and dance with us as you are! Sea creatures welcome of course. How long has it been since you tried a little fun under the sea?

IM  Grace Wrigglesworth for details

Fanci's Deep Community Center, Union Passage (220, 218, 1)

Safe Waters Foundation Survey

Grace Wrigglesworth recently decided to conduct a poll as to what the interest in underwater virtual life Second Life residents have. So she made the following questions for people to copy/paste to a notecard inworld, fill out, and send it to her via her profile (GraceSWF Wrigglesworth).

 * * * * *

My Full SL Name and Nickname:

Community/entity represented:

Your status in the community (e.g. owner, manager, officer, etc.):

Community sim locations:

What time zone do you live in (RL)

Please provide contact information.  When is the best time to reach you (SLT) and best methods:

What is your perception of the current state of underwater life in SL?:

What aspects of SL underwater life would you like to see improved?:

In your opinion, what are the strengths of your community in what it brings to the global underwater community?:

Are there any aspects of your community that could be improved by collaboration with other underwater communities?:

Do you have any questions about how Safe Waters Foundation can help your community?:

In your opinion, how can Safe Waters Foundation best help the global underwater community?:

_______________________________________________________

Thank you for your time and cooperation!
Please complete this survey, save a copy and rename it to include your name.  Please drop your renamed notecard on GraceSWF Wrigglesworth.

Safe Water Foundation Meeting and Underwater Birthday Bash

On June 10 at Noon SL time, there was a meeting at the Safe Waters Foundation in which Gentle Heron of Virtual Ability gave an open discussion about how the disabled could access Second Life, and how a welcome area suited to their particular needs could encourage them to stay. The meeting was attended by SWF head Grace (GraceSWF Wrigglesworth), and Barbie Alchemi of Creations for Parkinson's. Any1 Gynoid was also there. The event took place on the ocean floor of the Union Passage sim.

Grace happened to have her rezzday about this time. And at 6PM her friends in and out of the group held a rezzday party for her.

The party was mostly merfolk, but there were a few others, including a couple people in diving helmets. Kiosks for the Relay for Life and the Team Fox Parkinson's charities were placed and  collected a few thousand Linden dollars. Much of the music played was Celtic and Celtic-inspired. Tours were offered, and yours truly got a chance to see some places around the bottom of the Blake Sea.

Stay tuned for more about the Safe Water Foundation and the Blake Sea.

Addition: Grace told me the discussion happens at Union Passage (96/229/1) every two weeks, and is called, "Let's Mertalk," "Sometimes Open Topic and other times there will be other topics announced in advance."

Bixyl Shuftan

Grace Wrigglesworth and the Safe Waters Foundation

Yours truly recently had a chance to interview Grace Wrigglesworth, the head of the Safe Waters Foundation. To those who don't know, Safe Waters is the largest organization of merfolk groups, fans of mermaid, merman, and similar avatars such as sirens and anthro sharks. We talked some about how she came to Second Life and how the Foundation started.

Read more in People.