Skin Cancer is a growing epidemic in the U.S. Many people don’t realize that approximately 80 percent of sun exposure is incidental, meaning it happens unintentionally during everyday activities while walking a dog or when children are outside for recess. Additionally, Americans still believe dangerous myths when it comes to the sun, putting them at increased risk for skin cancer. A common myth is that people believe they don’t need to protect themselves from the sun on cloudy days. Surprisingly, many states with the highest incidence rates of skin cancer are not typically viewed as “sunny locales,” including Washington, Minnesota and Vermont. Even on a cloudy day, up to 80 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays pass through the clouds. This is why it is crucial people nationwide, no matter where they live, protect themselves from the sun – 365 days a year!
As millions of fans anxiously waited for this summer’s Twilight new movie Eclipse, Neutrogena® and SHADE® Foundation of America want to remind Americans: “There won’t be an eclipse to protect you from the sun – Don’t let the grey fool you, 80% of the sun’s UV rays can pass through the clouds.”
Neutrogena® and SHADE® Foundation of America – a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sun safety – have partnered on Sun Proof Your Community, a nationwide contest to help communities take a step to fight the growing skin cancer epidemic.
Sun Proof Your Community is a key element of the ongoing Neutrogena Choose Skin Health national education campaign initiatives aimed at fighting the skin cancer epidemic by educating people on how to make positive changes in their sun behavior – from wearing sunscreen daily to seeking shade – 365 days a year!
The campaign released results from a landmark national survey that found a major gap between what dermatologists recommend and what Americans actually do when it comes to sun-safe behavior. One of the most surprising survey findings is that 94% of Americans know that prolonged exposure to the sun can cause skin damage and even skin cancer, yet only 1 in 5 people (20%) wear sunscreen on a daily basis and 1 in 5 people will get skin cancer.
These findings underscore the need for continued education to reverse the growing skin cancer epidemic in the U.S. As part of its ongoing Choose Skin Health campaign efforts, Neutrogena® has donated $65,000 to SHADE® Foundation of America to fund the Sun Proof Your Community contest.
HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:
From now until July 20, individuals or groups can submit up to a 250-word essay on the Choose Skin Health™ Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/chooseskinhealth <http://www.facebook.com/chooseskinhealth> , explaining why a school, park, playground or community space in their area deserves to win a sun-shade covering.
The Sun Proof Your Community contest will help 5 communities protect themselves from the sun through the donation of a shade covering. The top 10 finalists, as determined by Neutrogena® and the SHADE® Foundation of America, will be posted to the Choose Skin Health Facebook page for public voting. The five entries/locations with the highest number of votes will win a sun-shade covering.
Want to win a Neutrogena Gift Bag for yourself? The first 15 people to enter this giveaway, will receive an awesome gift bag from Neutrogena. Find out how to enter below. Also, be sure to check out all of our other giveaways HERE.
A complimentary product/service was provided for this review; however, all opinions expressed are our own. We were not compensated in any other way for this review. See Mommies With Cents disclosure policy for more details.
Melissa Fresoni says
There is this place in Norton where I live that is the center and it needs some covering it has a lot of people that come by and walk around and enjoy themselves. There are people that spend the day there and complain tat they get a sunburn because there is no sun shade covering ): Please help! (: