Arizona
Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Mantei and his teammates are taking on a new opponent
– the harmful effects of overexposure to the sun.
Mantei, a member of the SHADE Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by
Shonda Schilling, is teaming up with the Arizona Department of Health Services
and Arizona Diamondbacks to promote sun safety awareness with a poster-drawing
contest for Arizona school children.
The contest, which targets public and private school students up to age 17, is
designed to educate youngsters about protecting themselves, friends and family
members from the harmful effects of overexposure to the sun. The grand prize:
Four tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets game in Phoenix on
May 10. The teacher of the winning artist also will receive 2 tickets to the
game.
The SHADE Foundation is dedicated to educating children and adults about
preventing skin cancer and to teaching about detection of potential skin
problems before they become life threatening.
Statistics show that Arizonans are twice at risk above the national average for
skin cancer. More than one million new skin cancer cases will be diagnosed in
the United States this year. Even more startling is that one in every 41
Americans has a risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Many skin cancers can be prevented by limiting exposure to the sun, by wearing
clothing to cover skin and by using sunscreen. In Arizona, where sunshine is
plentiful and risk is considerably greater than in other parts of the country,
it is critical that children be protected from sun exposure and that they
develop a lifelong habit of prevention.
Increasing the percentage of Arizona children that regularly use effective sun
protection is one of Arizona’s Healthy 2010 objectives. The Department began
implementing the Environmental Protection Agency’s SunWise school program in
February 2003 for elementary and middle schools in Arizona. More than 500
schools state-wide are enrolled. The free program encourages schools to adopt
sun-safe policies and promote sun-safe educational programs in order to educate
children about sun safety and to encourage life-long sun safety behaviors.
Schools that participate in the SunWise program receive materials that
facilitate cross-curricular classroom learning. The program also encourages
schools to provide a sun-safe infrastructure, including shade structures and
policies (e.g., using hats, sunscreen, sunglasses) that promote sun protection
in a school setting.
“This poster contest enables us to reach kids in a fun, creative, educational
format,” said Will Humble, ADHS Bureau Chief of Epidemiology and Disease
Control. “Studies have indicated people receive 80 percent of their lifetime
exposure to the sun by the time they are 18 years old. This means that
protecting young children from overexposure to the sun can have a tremendous
impact on lowering lifetime risk of skin cancer."
Contest Rules
All posters must be at least 8 ˝" by 11" in size and may not exceed 11" by 17".
The posters should suggest ways to ways to prevent skin cancer and raise sun
safety awareness, such as using sunscreen, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, limiting
time in the midday sun, seeking shade, covering up to protect one’s skin and
checking the ultraviolet (UV) index.
All posters must be original. Use of the Arizona Diamondbacks logo or personnel
(e.g. D. Baxter the Bobcat ) is permitted. All posters must be received by the
Department by April 1, 2004. Contest entry forms can be obtained by contacting
area schools directly or by mailing a request to Sharon McKenna, Arizona
Department of Health Services, 150 N. 18th Ave. #430, Phoenix, Arizona 85007 or smkenn@hs.state.az.us.
To learn more about SunWise:
www.hs.state.az.us/phs/oeh/invsurv/sunwise/index.htm |
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