Story courtesy of USA SHADE & Fabric Structures
When it’s sunny outside no one wants to stay indoors, especially children. But heading outdoors without adequate sun protection can lead to a sunburn that lingers long after the fun in the sun has ended.
With sizzling summer temperatures, sun protection should be on the minds of all parents and outdoor recreational facility decision-makers. Summer calls for enjoyment of the great outdoors and young and old head to sports, aquatic and playground facilities to swing a bat, splash in the pool or zip down the playground slide.
Unprotected playground equipment can get too hot to touch during the summer months which can lead to children and adults being severely burned. Equally troubling is that one of the most pervasive threats to children’s’ health is also often overlooked—one that affects them every time they step outside into the sun. Children who are unprotected from the harmful rays of the sun could face skin cancer.
Outdoor activities especially during summer result in a significant amount of sun exposure. Research indicates that most people receive as much as 80 percent of their total lifetime sun exposure during their first 18 years. As few as two severe sunburns during childhood may double the risk of developing Melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer, later in life. (American Academy of Dermatology).
A very common form of skin cancer usually seen in people over 50 years old is now being found in a younger group of people including teens and those in their twenties, according to the American Dermatology Association. “We need to educate our youth and, more importantly, keep the fun and shade the sun,” William Barth, President and CEO of the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation, said. “Clearly we are seeing more and younger people with skin cancer and it is our duty as a society to lessen the risk factor for our children. We have to cover the kids when it really counts.”
Playground safety was first officially addressed with the publication of the first Consumer Products Safety Commission’s Guideline to Public Playground Safety back in 1981. Safety on the playground is being further defined with the results of testing confirming the vulnerability of children under the age of five exposed to the UV rays of natural sunlight. Skin cancer is a very real concern. But at the same time kids have a genuine need for play and for their health it is important to develop active lifestyles at an early age. Shade structures providing safe shade for play environments are the answer.
Spectators and participants of all kinds appreciate shade whether for watching the kids or the ball or seeking cool comfort in between games. With the added concerns of health, shade structures are appearing in greater numbers. But there are numerous facilities where children are still unprotected.
Aesthetic Appeal—Creative And Cool Havens For The Kids
A cool solution to create shaded play environments is to add a fabric shade structure. These structures can be designed in a variety of shapes and sizes and offer numerous fabric and steel color choices. Tensioned fabric can be twisted, overlapped and angled into a virtually unlimited array of forms. A number of overlapping sails can create an attractive accent and shaded shelter around playgrounds and parks.
“Outdoor recreational activities should equal fun not sun,” Basil Haymann, chairman of USA SHADE & Fabric Structures, which includes the Sun Ports, Shade Structures and FabriTec brands, said. “The shade industry continues to develop products to answer both the aesthetic and sun safety demands. Permanent fabric shade structures have proved to be a cost effective answer to sun protection and the ‘active’ or kinetic aspects of the fabrics together with their color and festivity give them a powerful edge over ‘hard’ materials.”
Haymann, whose company is the largest shade manufacturer in the world, continued, “Protection from ultraviolet radiation and heat has become a critical health issue. We have to protect our most important assets, namely our children. Adding a permanent shade structure to the playground area is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity.”
Cool Fundraising Ideas
Shade Across America – Cover Our Kids
The Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation has launched The Shade Across America Program which is dedicated to supplying shade covers to recreational areas and schools throughout the United States. “Parents, teachers and communities need to work together to help educate and sun protect our kids,” Barth said. “It is our responsibility to protect our kids from danger, and so it is my objective, to have shade covers over every playground and sports park in America. With this program and the help of USA SHADE & Fabric Structures we will be able to cover our kids during the most important times of their lives, which is childhood.”
The Shade Across America Program has two main goals:
1. Increase sun safety awareness for kids and parents; working towards healthier, UV safe communities.
2. Enabling communities to raise funds for shade structures.
Businesses and communities can get involved with 1, 2 or 3 easy steps such as a silent auction item, donating a percentage of their products or services to the program during May, which is Skin Cancer Awareness month, or advertising in the Sun Smart Connection Magazine. Businesses will benefit with a large audience exposure, inclusion on the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation website, logo use with permission, inclusion in E-Newsletters and a variety of event exposure opportunities.
The Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation invites everyone interested in making their community a healthy UV safe environment for kids and adults alike to become involved in the Shade Across America Program and become a Sun Smart Community Partner. Call (877) 478-6227 or visit http://www.skincaf.org/ for more information or e-mail info@skincaf.org
Shade Across America Auction
The Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation is getting geared up to run an online auction to raise needed funds for shade structures. A valuable tool is available to assist organizations and institutions in their efforts to raise much needed funds for shade structures.
The Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation and USA SHADE & Fabric Structures have teamed up to present the Shade Across America Auction. Both companies are winners of the prestigious American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Gold Triangle Award.
The two entities are launching this effort to help schools, organizations and communities raise needed funds for shade structures. The current economy has left many institutions who normally grant funds for shade structures without adequate resources to contribute.
However, company officials feel these sluggish economic conditions could last for many years which is why they are passionate about this campaign.
You’ve heard about it, but what exactly is an on-line auction? The auction is simple and easy to use. There isn’t any software or hardware to buy, any website management, design or even programming. The auction system is actually user friendly and fun for you and other shoppers. Shoppers can shop by an item, category or other depending on your available auction items.
Reduce Stress On Your Volunteers; we increase donor participation and revenue using our incredible system. Your auction items will receive national exposure through our website, press releases, newsletters and our own Sun Smart Connection On-Line magazine. Your organization will also be listed in our foundation website directory as a Community Partner with a link back to your own organization website.
Turn Your Trash Into Cash; no matter how junky you think an item is, consider this truth: Someone somewhere will probably pay for it.
It’s Auction Time
Advocate your organization as a Sun Smart Community Partner by joining the nationwide Shade Across America Auction Program to fund your next shade structures.
For more information, call or e-mail for instructions on how to set up your own auction.
The number is (877) 478-6227 or e-mail info@skincaf.org.
Cool Free UV Educational Magazine And Program Available For Download
Sun Smart Connection Magazine
New Online Magazine Aims To Educate People About Practicing “Safe Sun”
The Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation has released the premiere issue of its new free online magazine, Sun Smart Connection, a seasonal publication aimed at promoting skin cancer awareness, educating youths about sun safety and suggesting new ways to be “sun smart.”
The summer issue highlights different products on the market being used to shade children’s playgrounds and outdoor play areas and tips on how to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays. Additional inspirational articles by skin cancer survivors, tips from dermatologists, features on sun-safe spas as well as healthy alternatives to tanning are included in the premier issue.
The Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation encourages all organizations and interested parties to download the premier issue of Sun Smart Connection and to add a link to their websites. Access the magazine at:
http://www.skincaf.org/files/53/File/09summer_magazine.pdf
Sun Smart Kids Cool School Program
The Sun Smart Kids Cool School Program is a collaborative venture between dermatologist Ann F. Haas and William H. Barth of the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation. Dr. Haas wrote the program and provided the medical expertise, which would have gone nowhere without the production expertise and resource capabilities of Barth. This program is the recipient of the American Academy of Dermatology Gold Triangle Award.
In trying to encourage dermatologists and others to take the sun safety message to elementary school aged children, both Dr. Haas and Barth had encountered the willingness to volunteer, but easily usable, pre-prepared teaching materials were difficult to come by. Although there are educational materials available, many of the programs are designed to be taught by school teachers (or significantly modified by "volunteer" teachers), or are not age appropriate for pre-K through elementary school. Teachers do not always have the time or expertise to cover sun safety issues in the classroom. There clearly was a need for readily available material for "volunteer teachers of sun safety," which were also graphically appealing to kids of this age.
The Sun Safe Kids Cool School Program is a "portable" sun safety educational program for pre-K- elementary grades, which is very straight forward to use. It is downloadable, in PowerPoint format, at no charge to any "sun safety volunteer teacher" who requests it. The program is divided into two age-appropriate, cartoon-type presentations, both of which come with scripts and downloadable activity books. Since the program has gone on-line the organization has received 3005 requests to download the program. Visit the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation (SCAF) website at www.skincaf.org or info@skincaf.orgor phone (877) 478-6227.
UV Warning Signal Is Here—Raise Public Awareness Of Harmful UV Rays And Help Protect And Educate Our Children
Nevada has one of the highest Melanoma rates in the country. For that reason and many others, Barth, Chairman and CEO of the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation has come up with the UV Warning Signal. The UV Warning Signal is manufactured by Solar Light Company and the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation. It is a real-time UV Index which helps to raise public awareness of UV radiation. A UV Warning Signal is up and running at Findlay Cadillac in Henderson, NV, one is in operation at KVBC Channel 3 in Las Vegas and more will be popping up around the country.
Proceeds from each sale of the UV Warning Signal will help support the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation children's programs such as the 2006 Golden Triangle Award from the American Academy of Dermatology Sun Smart Kids Cool School Program (www.kidscoolschoolprogram.org). This program has been requested by 1,450 school or organizations, both domestic and internationally.
This a great opportunity for institutions to give back to their communities by purchasing a UV Warning Signal for their own use or donating it to encourage the awareness of the danger of UV rays. Your name will be imprinted on the side to show your support for skin cancer education within your community. For more information call (877) 478-6227 or e-mail info@skincaf.org.
You can also contact Sarah van Wezel, publicity manager at USA SHADE & Fabric Structures. Her e-mail is svanwezel@usa-shade.com. The company website is www.usa-shade.com.
Skin Cancer Fact Sheet
· Substantially more than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year.1
· Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common forms of skin cancer, but are easily treated if detected early.1
· Current estimates are that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.2
· The incidence of melanoma has been steadily increasing for the past 30 years. Since 1992, melanoma has increased 3.1 percent annually in non-Hispanic Caucasians, but in recent years is increasing more rapidly in young white women (3.8 percent since 1995) and men age 65 and older (8.8 percent since 2003).1,3
· Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old.4
· Melanoma is increasing faster in females 15-29 years old than males in the same age group. In females 15-29 years old, the torso is the most common location for developing melanoma which may be due to high-risk tanning behaviors.4
· Melanoma in individuals 10-39 years old is highly curable with five-year survival rates exceeding 90 percent.4
· 1 in 58 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime. Caucasians and men over 50 years of age are at a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.5
· It is estimated that there will be about 121,840 new cases of melanoma in 2009 – 53,120 noninvasive (in situ) and 68,720 invasive (39,080 men and 29,640 women).1
· One American dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 61 minutes). In 2009, 8,650 deaths will be attributed to melanoma—5,550 men and 3,100 women.1
· The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 65,161 people a year worldwide die from too much sun, mostly from malignant skin cancer.6
· People with more than 50 moles, atypical moles or a family history of melanoma are at an increased risk of developing melanoma.1
· Approximately 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.1
· The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 99 percent.1
· Five-year survival rates for regional and distant stage melanomas are 65 percent and 15 percent, respectively.1
· In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion.7
· The American Cancer Society recommends a skin cancer-related checkup and counseling about sun exposure as part of any periodic health examination for men and women beginning at age 20.1
· Individuals with a history of melanoma should have a full body exam at least annually and perform regular self-exams for new and changing moles.8
1. American Cancer Society. 2009 Cancer Facts and Figures. http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/500809web.pdf.
2. Robinson JK. Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294: 1541-43.
3. Linos E, Swetter S, Cockburn MG, Colditz GA, Clarke CA. Increasing burden of melanoma in the United States. J Invest Derm. 8 January 2009 doi:10.1038/jid.2008.423.
4. Cancer Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults. SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.
5. Melanoma of the Skin, Cancer Fact Sheets, National Cancer Institute, SEER database, 2007. http://seer.cancer.gov.
6. World Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation: Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.
7. Bickers DR, Lim HW, Margolis D et al. The burden of skin diseases: 2004 a joint project of the American Academy of Dermatology Association and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2006; 55: 490-500.
8. Berg A. Screening for skin cancer. US Preventive Services Task Force, 2007.
USA SHADE & Fabric Structures, Inc. is the 2009 American Academy of Dermatology Gold Triangle Award winner for its “Made in the Shade: Screen the Sun, Keep the Fun” campaign.
