a p r o g r a m t h a t 

SunWise

Monit

r a d i a t e s g o o d i d e a s February 2010

rWinter 2009

In this issue

2010 POSTER CONTEST RULES 2

DON’T FRY DAY 2010 3

U.S. EPA OZONE LAYER 

PROTECTION AWARDS 4

HELEN REBULL, RN 5

STARTLING STATISTICS 5

SOUNDING BOARD:

WE NEED YOUR HELP 6

CALL FOR PRESIDENTIAL 

ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH 

AWARD NOMINATIONS 6

FUN IN THE SUN 101 6

NEW RESOURCES 7

NEW MEDIA TOOLS FOR 

SUN SAFETY 7

TERRI ROE, RN 7

EVALUATION SNEAK PEEK 8

RUSHMORE OPTIMIST CLUB 8

COFFEE, BURGER, OR 

SKIN CANCER 9

WHY DON’T FRY DAY ISN’T 

JUST ANOTHER FRIDAY 9

SUNWISE COMMUNITIES 10

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO 11

ARE YOU SUNWISE-CERTIFIED? 11

FUN FACTS 12

Calling All Kids! 

Help SunWise Shine a Light 

on Sun-Safe Behaviors 

T he 2010 SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest has begun! The winner of 

the national contest will receive a family trip 

to Disney World and a WeatherBug Weather 

Tracking Station for his/her school. And 

that’s in addition to great prizes you can win 

in state contests! 

Students in kindergarten through 8th grade 

are eligible for the prizes by helping to raise 

awareness about sun safety. The annual 

competition is a joint effort of the SHADE 

Foundation of America, WeatherBug Schools, 

and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) to teach children ways to protect their 

skin and eyes from excessive sun exposure. 

More than 85,000 students have helped spread 

Poster; continued on page 2

Poster by Benjamin A., St. Mary Parish Elementary School, Bronx, NY
2	 SunWise Monitor	 www.epa.gov/sunwise

2010 National Prizes:

Kindergarten through 3rd grade:

• Crayola Digital Camera Scrapbooking Kit for top 

five entries

4th through 8th grade:

• Family trip to Disney World for the national 

contest winner 

• WeatherBug Tracking Station for the 

winner’s school, with lifetime access to 

WeatherBug Achieve

State prizes will also be awarded. For more 

information, please visit the SHADE Foundation 

Web site: www.shadefoundation.org/programs/

poster-contest.

Rules/Entry Information

1. Each poster must be hand drawn on one sheet 

of 81⁄2 × 11-inch paper. 

2. Each student’s teacher or parent/guardian must 

complete the entry form and attach it to the 

back of the poster (Forms available at 

www.shadefoundation.org).

3. Posters should include at least five of the 

following SunWise action steps: 

• Wear a Hat 

• Wear Sunglasses 

• Check the UV Index 

• Do Not Sun Tan or Use Tanning Beds 

• Use Sunscreen of SPF 15+ 

• Cover Up 

• Seek Shade Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

4. Posters must be received no later than 

April 7, 2010. 

5. Mail your posters to: 

SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest

c/o Linda Rutsch

13502 Round Tree Court

Silver Spring, MD 20906

Additional information:

• Entry is open to kindergarten through 8th grade 

students in all U.S. states and territories. 

• There are two categories for judging: 

K–3rd grades and 4th–8th grades. 

• The basis for judging will be how well posters 

express sun safety messages in original, 

creative, and thoughtful ways. 

• Prizes are subject to change. 

• Please visit the SHADE Foundation Web site 

for an official entry form and to sign up for 

a monthly newsletter with useful tips on sun 

safety: www.shadefoundation.org/programs/

poster-contest.

2010 Poster Contest Calling All Kids!!

the message of sun safety by participating 

in the annual contest since its creation 

in 2003. The 2009 winner, Christoffer 

Crowley of Bernville, PA, depicted a girl 

talking to her friend about her unhealthy 

relationship with the sun. Christoffer 

said of his design, “I was thinking about 

a creative way to represent the sun...[The 

sun] isn’t a bad thing; it’s a good thing, just 

in small amounts.” 

In 2009, state winners received digital 

cameras, and their schools received 

Sun UV Stations to monitor real-time 

ultraviolet (UV) intensity levels. Other 

school prizes included UV-sensitive 

beads and a 1-gallon pump dispenser of 

sunscreen from Blue Lizard. You can 

find more information on the contest in 

the column on the left. To get the entry 

form for your students and to sign up 

for the monthly newsletter highlighting 

SunWise activities, please visit 

www.shadefoundation.org and click 

on “Poster Contest.”

Once all the posters are in, we’ll need 

your help to determine the national winner 

in the spring! After the state winners are 

chosen, their entries will be posted online. 

YOU will have the chance to vote for your 

favorite poster showing us how we can all 

be SunWise. So stay tuned!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) does not endorse any of the products or 

sponsors discussed in this article.

Poster; continued from page 1

Last year’s winner, Christoffer Crowley of 

Pennsylvania, shows off his winning poster at 

the Pitchin’ Posters ceremony in Washington, 

DC, in May of 2009. Christoffer met Arizona 

Senator John McCain, a skin cancer 

survivor, at the event, and said, “I had an 

amazing time at the awards ceremony. I met 

so many interesting people there!”
www.epa.gov/sunwise February 2010	 3

What Is Don’t Fry Day?

In 2009 the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) and National 

Council on Skin Cancer Prevention 

launched the first-ever national sun safety 

day just before the Memorial Day weekend. 

We chose the Friday before Memorial Day 

because millions of Americans unofficially 

kick-start their summers that weekend and 

accidentally get burned in the process. Our 

slogan was and continues to be: “The Friday 

before Memorial Day is Don’t Fry Day: 

Protect Your Skin Today and Every Day.” 

The goal of the campaign is to generate 

media attention about skin cancer 

prevention. The campaign reached more 

than 1 million Americans in 2009. Salt Lake 

County, in Utah, even became a SunWise 

Community and helped create a press 

conference to publicize the Don’t Fry Day

message. We’re hopeful you can help us 

make 2010 an even greater success. 

About the Don’t Fry Day Pledge

EPA created several new materials 

for you to use to promote Don’t 

Fry Day. In 2009 we asked you to 

take the Don’t Fry Day pledge, and 

more than 1,400 of you responded. 

Thank you for your enthusiasm! 

We didn’t give you much time in 

our first year, so we’re hoping 

you can help us make 2010 even 

more successful. Visit www.epa.

gov/sunwise/dfd.html for more 

information. For example, you 

could pledge to teach a SunWise 

activity on Don’t Fry Day, 

hold a school-wide hat day, 

announce the UV Index and 

Don’t Fry Day over your loud 

speaker, participate in the 

SunWise with SHADE poster 

contest (deadline April 7, 

2010), or engage students in any 

other sun safety activity that promotes 

Don’t Fry Day awareness. Because we know 

you enjoy a good challenge, here are the 

states to beat this year (in descending order 

of the highest number of participating 

schools/organizations): Texas, Florida, 

Pennsylvania, New York, California, and 

North Carolina.

Don’t Fry Day Resources

Go to www.skincancerprevention.org/

and click on the Don’t Fry Day logo to find 

free resources. We created a beautiful new 

poster, stickers, video, print public service 

announcements, statistics, and other fun 

new products for you to use to help us 

spread the sun safety message. If you can 

think of other ways to promote Don’t Fry 

Day, e-mail us at SunWise@epa.gov.

Random Drawing

Participating classrooms will each 

receive a Don’t Fry Day poster and set 

of sun safety stickers. In addition, your 

classroom will be entered into a drawing 

for a SunWise Classroom Prize Pack—

about 240 UV-sensitive beads, a real-time 

UV monitor, extra stickers, and other sun 

safety resources. 

Help Us Make Don

’t Fry Day

2010 a Blazing Success!
4	 SunWise Monitor	 www.epa.gov/sunwise

T he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Ozone Layer Protection Award in 

1990 to recognize outstanding contributions to protection 

of the Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer. Since then, 554 

individuals, organizations, and teams from 54 countries 

have earned the honor. The award is particularly prestigious 

because nominees compete globally against the notable 

accomplishments of other qualified candidates, and winners 

are selected by previous winners. In 2008, EPA expanded its 

awards ceremony to include notable achievements to improve 

public awareness of the health impacts of overexposure 

to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In 2009, the Ozone Layer 

Protection Award went to Shonda Schilling for her work to 

prevent skin cancer.

Mrs. Schilling founded the SHADE Foundation of America 

in 2002 after her successful fight against melanoma. She is the 

president and founder of this nonprofit organization, which 

has become a pioneer in skin cancer 

prevention education for the U.S. 

public. The foundation’s mission 

is to eradicate melanoma through 

education and to promote sun 

safety. Because skin cancer is more 

common in the United States than 

breast, lung, prostate, and colon 

cancers combined, and considering 

one person dies every hour from 

the disease, Mrs. Schilling’s work is 

vitally important to the health and 

well-being of people across 

the nation.

Mrs. Schilling’s personal 

commitment to the cause is 

inspirational in many ways. She has 

run the Boston Marathon three times 

to raise money for the foundation. 

Some of the money went to build 

shade structures to protect children 

from sun overexposure. She worked to 

get legislation passed in Arizona that 

requires teaching sun safety lessons at all public elementary 

and middle schools. She makes numerous personal 

appearances each year, including teaching SunWise lessons 

to children, to spread messages about the importance of 

skin cancer prevention. She also hosts a skin cancer selfexam DVD that is available at no charge at the SHADE 

Foundation’s Web site, and the list goes on. 

Due to Mrs. Schilling’s fundraising efforts, SHADE has 

provided over 20 million hours of shade cover to more 

than 80,000 students. The foundation sponsors the annual 

SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest that has received over 

85,000 entries since its creation. Through these efforts and 

more, Mrs. Schilling is literally saving lives. Thank you and 

congratulations to Shonda Schilling for her important work!

EPA Presents 0zone 

Layer Protection Award to 

Shonda Schilling

Rob Brenner and Drusilla Hufford of EPA present Shonda Schilling (center) with her 

2009 Ozone Layer Protection Award.
www.epa.gov/sunwise February 2010	 5 Educator Spotlight

An enthusiastic SunWise educator from 

the outset continues to promote sun safety 

in her community.

Helen Rebull has been actively teaching her students at 

Congressional Schools of Virginia to be 

SunWise since the SunWise Program 

started in 2000. The school, in Great 

Falls, VA, also promotes sun safety 

by hanging up educational posters in 

hallways and classrooms. The SunWise 

Program has become part of the 

school’s health curriculum as well. 

Helen also educates camp counselors 

about sun safety, always including 

sunscreen information in the 

orientation for counselors. This past 

season she wrote a note to every camp 

parent cautioning about the shelf life 

and effectiveness of sunscreen products. 

Now the camp program has also 

changed, and an “activity” time has been 

put into the schedule for application 

of sunscreen. Last summer, one camp 

office installed a small TV to run a 

video to keep the crowd amused while 

sunscreen was slathered on. If a child 

forgets his or her sunscreen at home, 

Helen makes sure they slop on some of 

the sunscreen she keeps in her office. 

Helen also makes time to work 

on her favorite project. The summer 

sun beats down on the bricks of the 

school building and two parallel 

cement walks, near a small grassy plot 

where the children had to stand while 

waiting to come into the building. At 

times, heavy rain flooded the ground. 

Fortunately, Helen volunteered to work 

with students to correct the situation. 

They planted several trees from historic 

places, spacing them throughout the 

grassy plot. The first year was pretty 

tough on the spindly sticks as they 

struggled to grow. Winter came and 

spring followed, and over the years the 

sticks have grown into a beautiful shady 

park. Children love to walk—make that 

run and scamper—on the shady paths. 

The school has also installed benches 

for people to sit and chat.

Thanks to Helen and all the 

other dedicated SunWise educators 

continuing to spread the word on 

sun safety!

Helen Rebull, RN

Helen Rebull, school nurse at the Congressional 

Schools of Virginia in Falls Church, VA, 

seeking shade in her school’s park.

Startling Statistics

• Skin cancer is the most common 

form of cancer in the United States. 

More than 1 million skin cancer 

cases are diagnosed annually. 

• Up to 90 percent of the visible 

changes commonly attributed to 

aging are caused by the sun. 

• On an average day, more than 1 million 

Americans use tanning salons. 

• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, from 

the sun and from tanning beds, 

is a proven human carcinogen, 

according to the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services and the 

World Health Organization.

• The incidence of many common 

cancers is falling, but the incidence 

of melanoma continues to rise faster 

than any of the other seven most 

common cancers. 

• People who use tanning beds before 

age 30 increase their chances of 

developing melanoma by 75 percent.

• UVB radiation can cause skin cancer, 

cataracts, and increased infections 

through the skin. It has an adverse 

effect on plants. It is also a threat to 

phytoplankton, the single-cell plants 

that all marine life depends on.
6	 SunWise Monitor	 www.epa.gov/sunwise

Sounding Board: We Need Your Help

Welcome to Fun in the Sun 101:

New Resources for Grades 6–8 

At SunWise, we’re always working to bring you high-quality, effective, and 

free resources that make it easy for you 

to teach your students about the ozone 

layer, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and sun 

safety. We’ve been cooking up some new 

ideas and want your input. If you have 

any thoughts (positive or negative) about 

the ideas listed below, please e-mail us at 

SunWise@epa.gov. 

(1) New Resources for Parents. SunWise 

is in the process of developing new 

resources specifically for parents of kids 

4–12 years old. Before we do this, we 

need to know the best ways to reach 

parents: School? Pediatrician’s office? 

Facebook? Magazines such as Parent? 

Or are there better ways?

In addition, we’d like to know what 

type of materials would work best: 

A summer activity book for parents 

and their children? A pamphlet or 

small handout? Magnets or other 

items that can remind parents to pack 

hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen? 

Tips on proper sunscreen 

application? Other ideas?

Finally, what do you think 

parents need to know about 

sun safety? 

(2) Ozone Comic 

Book. Do you have 

any thoughts on a 

storyline for an 

ozone comic book? 

If so, please let us 

know what grade level 

you’d recommend, 

and if you’d use it with 

your students.

(3) YouTube Contests. We want to tap 

into your and your students’ creativity. 

We’re considering holding up to three 

video contests through YouTube:

• For Anyone: Create a 30- or 

60-second sun safety public service 

announcement encouraging children 

and families to be SunWise.

• For Students: Create a 30-second 

to 2-minute video with K-8th grade 

students explaining what sun safety 

means to them.

• For Teachers: Create a 1- to 

4-minute video explaining how you 

integrate SunWise activities into 

your classroom. 

We’ll have monetary prizes for the 

winner(s) of each contest, but we want 

to know what you think. Would you 

participate in one of the contests? Or do 

you have a better idea for a contest we 

could put on? 

Please let us know what you think, 

especially if any of these resources will be 

useful to you, or if you have other ideas. 

E-mail us at SunWise@epa.gov. 

Thanks, 

T he Skin Cancer Foundation has a new Web site, www.skincancer.org/school, for tweens and 

teens. The site is packed with great health information, 

quizzes, fun facts, videos, an animated 3-D skin cancer 

library, and curriculum resources for teachers. The 

resources are an excellent complement to the SunWise 

Tool Kit and Web site. Look for some of our favorite facts 

from the foundation’s new site on page 12.

The SunWise Team

Do 

you have a 

student who is actively 

promoting sun safety or 

environmental protection in his/

her school or community? If so, 

consider having him/her enter 

the Presidential Environmental 

Youth Awards. Learn more 

at www.epa.gov/peya

a C ll for

Pres

di ential

Environmental Youth Award

Nom ni

at oi . sn
www.epa.gov/sunwise February 2010	 7

New Media Tools for Sun Safety

EPA has been developing “new media” tools to help you learn more about 

sun safety, including:

SunWise on GreenScene – Learn 

more about sun safety by watching this 

111⁄2-minute video. You can find the video 

on the SunWise Web site. Be one of the 

first 10 to spot an error in the video and 

we will send you a pack of ultraviolet 

(UV)-sensitive beads. E-mail us at 

SunWise@epa.gov. 

UV Index on Facebook – Check the UV 

Index for your town or city on Facebook 

and then let your friends 

know about it. You can share 

the UV Index by posting 

it on your wall or sending 

messages to your friends. 

Visit www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.

html to learn more. 

UV Index: Smartphones – Ever want 

to know what the UV Index is while 

you’re away from your computer running 

errands or spending time outdoors? With 

our new smartphone applications, you’ll 

be able to do just that. Visit www.epa.gov/

sunwise/uvindex.html to learn more.

UV Index Widget – Post the UV Index on 

your school or organization Web site with 

our easy-to-use UV Index widget. Even a 

novice Web developer can grab the code 

and easily pop it into his/her site. Visit 

www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html to 

learn more.

Greenversations – EPA is talking about 

what we do on our blog Greenversations. 

Sometimes, you might even find a 

SunWise post. Visit http://blog.epa.gov

to see what we’re up to.

Educator Spotlight

Terri Roe, RN

T his past summer, school nurse Terri Roe became a SunWise 

educator. She was so excited about 

the program that she presented 

SunWise to a large group of middle 

school teachers at a conference in 

Richmond, VA. As a result of her 

action, the teachers are using the 

SunWise Program with their students 

in a variety of great ways. One teacher 

has her students going into a daycare 

center and teaching the 4-year-olds 

some of the SunWise activities. Other 

teachers have their students going 

into elementary schools to teach 

SunWise activities.

Next, Terri plans to incorporate 

the SunWise Program into her 3rd

grade classes. She hopes to have the 

other elementary school nurses do the 

same. Good luck Terri! Thanks for 

promoting SunWise behavior!

Terri Roe, school nurse at Carver, Holladay, Johnson, and Trevett Elementary Schools in Richmond, VA, promoting 

the SunWise Program at a conference for middle school teachers.

New Resources 

Free Downloads of the “Sunscreen 

Dance” – Do you work with 3rd graders 

or younger? We’ve collaborated with 

the Swingset Mamas to create the 

“Sunscreen Dance,” a fun song you 

can teach your students about being 

SunWise. You can download the song 

for free from the SunWise Web site, 

plus we’ve developed award-winning 

accompanying activities.

Introducing SunWise to Your Students

– Do you want to teach your students 

about sun safety but don’t know where 

to start? Try out our introductory sun 

safety lessons in PowerPoint. They last 

about 30 minutes and are available with 

speaker notes in Spanish and English.

SunWise Tool Kit Activities Available 

Online – If you’ve already signed up for 

the SunWise Tool Kit at a conference, 

workshop, or online, you can access the 

Tool Kit activities as long as you’re near 

a computer. Just visit www.epa.gov/

sunwise/doc/toolkit/. The username is 

toolkit and the password is foryou. 

Find all these great resources and more 

at www.epa.gov/sunwise/educator_

resources.html.
8	 SunWise Monitor	 www.epa.gov/sunwise

Sneak Peek Into Preliminary Findings of

the Program Effectiveness Evaluation

Drum roll, please! The results of the program effectiveness evaluation 

involving 60 SunWise educators are 

currently being analyzed. The evaluation 

involved two groups: the delayed SunWise 

teaching group (control) and the immediate 

SunWise teaching group (intervention). 

Before participating in the SunWise 

Program, students at the involved schools 

were surveyed in April and May to 

determine what they know about the sun, 

how they feel about sun protection, and 

what they are currently doing to protect 

themselves. After the students took the 

survey, the teachers in the intervention 

group taught them SunWise activities before 

the end of the 2008 school year, while the 

control group educators did not teach 

SunWise until after the second set of surveys 

(a.k.a. post-test surveys) was conducted. 

In spring 2009, a similar survey (post-test 

survey) was distributed to the same students 

(in the intervention group) to see whether 

their sun protection knowledge, attitudes, 

and behavior changed.

The results are being analyzed by the 

SunWise Team, comparing the control and 

intervention groups, to see how effective 

SunWise is at improving sun protection 

knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. 

Here are a few sneak peeks into what 

types of answers we are getting:

• About two-thirds of students surveyed 

reported receiving at least one sunburn 

per summer.

• About half of students surveyed reported 

wearing sunscreen often or always during 

the summer.

• About 70 percent of students surveyed 

reported spending 3–6 hours outside per 

day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during 

the summer; less than 10 percent of 

students spend an hour or less outside 

per day.

• Before participating in the SunWise 

Program, less than 40 percent of students 

were aware that they could get a sunburn 

on a cloudy day.

The final results will help the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

show the effectiveness of the program and 

guide improvements of SunWise materials!

Also, even though we do not need any 

more schools for the survey, we continue 

to value your input and invite you to 

complete a teacher survey at www.epa.gov/

SunWise/survey.

Again, a big thanks to all the SunWise 

educators involved for taking the time 

to help!

Partner Spotlight

Rushmore 0ptimist Club

0ptimist International, an association of more than 3,000 

Optimist Clubs around the world 

dedicated to “Bringing Out the Best in 

Kids,” has established the Childhood 

Cancer Campaign. The campaign 

supports children with cancer, cancer 

research, and health care and health 

service providers. The Rushmore 

Optimist Club, in the Black Hills of 

South Dakota, has been a big player in 

the campaign. As part of their efforts, 

the Rushmore Optimists have decided 

to become involved with the SunWise 

Program. They’ve reached out to local 

schools, recreation directors, summer 

camps, and child-focused organizations 

(e.g., 4-H Centers, Girl Scouts, Boy 

Scouts, etc.). 

The club continued its efforts by 

sending letters to meteorologists at local 

TV stations encouraging them to sign 

up for and present SunWise materials. 

And the club didn’t stop there: It has 

handed out sun safety materials at 

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 

the Central State Fair Children’s Day, 

and health fairs. As a result, more than 

20 schools and organizations have 

signed up for SunWise, increasing the 

number of schools and partners in South 

Dakota by 50 percent!

So, what’s next for the Rushmore 

Optimists? They’ve decided to continue 

their efforts by building shade shelters 

with sun safety educational signs. Their 

goal: Provide an educational and safe 

experience for children and families. 

The first shelter will be at a playground, 

designed and built by children and the 

community, in the new 26-acre Rapid 

City Park within Vicki Powers Park. 

Thanks to the Rushmore Optimist 

Club for its exceptional work promoting 

SunWise behaviors in its community! 

Keep up the good work!
www.epa.gov/sunwise February 2010	 9

Coffee, Burger, or Skin Cancer?

Researchers from San Diego State University surveyed 116 U.S. cities 

and found an average of 42 tanning salons 

per city—more than the average number of 

Starbucks or McDonald’s! Start looking in your 

community and see how many tanning salons 

you see. 76 percent of teens surveyed 

(more than 6,000) lived within two miles 

of a tanning salon. Those teens were 

significantly more likely to have used indoor 

tanning than teens living more than two miles 

from a salon.

You can learn how many tanning salons 

are in your state’s largest city at the CITY100 

Web site, www.indoortanningreportcard.

com. CITY refers to Controlling Indoor 

Tanning in Youth and 100 represents 

the 100 most populous cities in 34 U.S. 

states and Washington, DC (plus the 

largest cities in the other 16 states), where 

the research was conducted. For more 

compelling findings about indoor tanning, 

conclusions, and recommendations for 

action, please visit the Web site.

About the author: A skin cancer survivor, 

Stephene Moore is the wife of Congressman 

Dennis Moore and a member of the 

Congressional Families Cancer Prevention 

Program. She has been helping the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 

SunWise Program since 2006. To raise 

awareness about the Don’t Fry Day campaign, 

sponsored by the National Council on Skin 

Cancer Prevention, EPA asked her to share her 

personal experience with skin cancer.

With Don’t Fry Day just a few months away, it’s important to 

remind family, friends, and the children in 

your care to Slip on a shirt! Slop on some 

sunscreen! Slap on a hat! and Wrap on 

some sunglasses today and every day. I’ve 

learned the importance of being smart in 

the sun the hard way. 

As a teen, I used to cover myself in baby oil 

that we girls all added iodine to, and sit out in 

the sun by the pool or in the backyard. As an 

adult, I even hopped into a tanning bed once 

in a while to get a “safe tan” so I wouldn’t 

burn on a beach vacation. Little did I know at 

the time that there’s no such thing as a “safe 

tan,” unless it comes from a bottle.

My sun-seeking and tanning caught up 

with me in November 2007. I was taking off 

my makeup and noticed a tiny black spot 

that I couldn’t wipe off. I waited a month 

before visiting my dermatologist, hoping the 

spot would just go away. When it didn’t, I 

made an appointment. Just a few days after 

the doctor did a biopsy of the spot on my 

nose, a nurse called with the results: It was 

skin cancer!

A pit began to form in my stomach after 

hearing the “C” word: cancer. Hearing 

“cancer” used in the same sentence as my 

own name is still unsettling. Luckily, the 

cancer I had was very treatable. I’ll never 

be able to say I’m cancer-free, but after 

three surgeries, the doctor was able to 

remove all the cancer he could find. The 

experience has left a lasting impression—

literally and figuratively.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are 

responsible for most skin cancers. UV 

reaches the Earth’s surface in two forms: 

UVA and UVB. UVA is associated with 

premature aging and wrinkling of the skin. 

UVB, which is associated with sunburn, 

is mostly blocked by the ozone layer. 

Unfortunately, the ozone layer isn’t perfect.

To protect my skin and eyes, I wear a hat 

and sunglasses, and keep extra sunscreen all 

over the house and in the car so I remember 

to put it on year round. I’ll never know which 

day by the pool or trip to the tanning bed 

gave me cancer, but please learn from my 

mistakes and remember to Slip! Slop! Slap!® 

and Wrap! each time you spend time outside.

I’d also like to encourage you to take 

the Don’t Fry Day Pledge and teach your 

students to be SunWise. Getting your 

students to participate in the poster contest 

is one action you can take. I’ll be a judge 

again this year and am looking forward 

to seeing your students’ posters! Visit the 

SunWise Web site to learn more and take 

the pledge, www.epa.gov/sunwise.

Why “Don’t Fry Day” 

Isn’t Just Another Friday

Stephene Moore, hours after Mohs surgery to remove a skin 

cancer above her lip, giving an interview on Radio Disney.
10	 SunWise Monitor	 www.epa.gov/sunwise

SunWise Salt Lake County (Utah) 

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon proclaimed May 

22, 2009—the first-ever Don’t Fry 

Day—“SunWise Day” in the county 

to encourage residents to adopt sunsafe behaviors. As part of the mayor’s 

proclamation, the county encouraged 

area schools to participate in the 

SunWise Program. In addition, all 10 

Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation 

outdoor swimming pools hosted Don’t 

Fry Day events to promote sun-safe 

behaviors throughout the summer. To 

help institute sun safety, each county 

pool has partnered with a local school 

to provide SunWise materials.

SunWise Washington 

F irst King County, then Pierce County, and now the whole state 

of Washington! In July 2008, Governor 

Christine Gregoire and the SunWise 

Program made Washington a “SunWise 

State.” According to the most recent data 

(2006) from the National Cancer Institute, 

Washington has the sixth highest 

melanoma incidence rate and 17th highest 

melanoma death rate in the country. 

Incidence rates in counties bordering 

Puget Sound and counties in the 

state’s extreme eastern area are among 

the highest in Washington. In fact, 

melanoma occurs as often, if not 

more often, in the cloudy and rainy 

parts of the state as in the sunnier 

regions. Because of this, Gregoire asked 

schools across the state to participate 

in SunWise Schools, teach children 

about the dangers of overexposure to 

the sun, and equip them with the skills 

to protect themselves. EPA estimates 

that if every K–8 school in Washington 

taught SunWise every year for five 

years, more than 500 cases of skin 

cancer and two premature deaths could 

be prevented!

SunWise Cobb County (Georgia) 

Because melanoma incidence in Cobb County, GA, is more 

than 50 percent higher than 

the national average, the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA), Wellstar Health System, and 

Cobb County School District teamed 

up in summer 2007 to improve sun 

protection in the county. To start, 

every K–8 school in the district 

received SunWise Tool Kits and EPA 

attended several community fairs in 

the county. On May 7, 2008, Cobb 

County Board of Commissioners 

Chairman Samuel Olens proclaimed 

“SunWise Day” in the county, and 

encouraged students and their 

families to learn about and practice 

sun-safe behaviors. To celebrate this 

occasion, a kickoff event was held at 

Harmony Leland Elementary School in 

Mableton, GA. In addition, the Relay 

for Life event on May 9, 2008, was 

designated SunWise. Information for 

children and adults on sun protection 

was distributed. 

Future plans for SunWise Cobb 

County include:

• Broadcasting in-school public 

service announcements over school 

TV stations 

• Presenting information to school 

district parent teacher organizations 

• Sending letters to parents with 

information on sun safety and 

good sunscreens 

• Reaching out to youth sports coaches 

• Collaborating with county parks and 

recreation facilities

SunWise Boston

0n April 22, 2008—Earth Day—Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, 

with help from SHADE Foundation of 

America founder and President Shonda 

Schilling and then-EPA Administrator 

Stephen Johnson, announced Boston’s 

commitment to protecting the 

environment and its residents from skin 

cancer by becoming a model SunWise 

Community. The city of Boston has 

pledged to plant 100,000 trees by 

2020, increasing its canopy cover by 

60 percent. As part of becoming a 

SunWise Community, Mayor Menino 

proclaimed April 22 “SunWise Day” 

in Boston, and pledged to work with 

SHADE and EPA throughout the year to 

provide shade, sunscreen, and a quality 

SunWise education to Boston’s youth 

and families.

The Swingset Mamas were on hand for the “SunWise Day” 

event, performing their catchy hit Sunscreen Dance, 

available at the SunWise Web site.

New SunWise Communities

LaShon Blakely of EPA’s Atlanta, GA office distributes sun 

safety materials to students at Harmony Leland Elementary.
www.epa.gov/sunwise February 2010	 11

Ever wonder how skin cancer touches your community? 

The U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA), in collaboration with 

the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) and state cancer 

programs, is developing state-specific 

fact sheets to help you learn more 

about skin cancer in your state. Each 

fact sheet contains a melanoma 

survivor’s story, state- and countyspecific facts, national statistics, facts 

about skin cancer prevention, and 

the steps you can take to be sunsafe. Share the fact sheets with your 

local officials so they can learn how 

skin cancer affects them and the 

people they serve. To view your 

state’s fact sheet, visit www.epa.

gov/sunwise/statefacts.html.

Why We Do What We Do: 

Educate Yourself and Your Local Officials 

Marcelle Leahy:

Melanoma Survivor

Growing up, I was 

always in the sun and 

sunburned. All that sun 

finally caught up to me 

in 2003 when my new 

dermatologist decided 

to biopsy a discolored spot on my face. 

I’d had it for years, but something about 

it didn’t feel right. The result: a large 

melanoma in situ.

The first two operations to remove it 

weren’t successful, leaving my face 

disfigured and still with cancer. Mohs 

surgery was scheduled with a different 

doctor to remove the rest. After six 

excisions during the Mohs, an area of 

skin the size of my palm was removed, 

and I was finally cancer-free. I learned 

to be an advocate for my own health, 

and to keep asking questions. I’ve had 

at least six nonmelanoma skin cancers 

removed since, and am always on the 

lookout for any skin changes. 

My advice: we know how to prevent 

and detect skin cancer, so share 

your knowledge with your loved ones. 

I’ll never know which sunburn gave 

me cancer, but I’ll certainly do all I 

can to protect my grandchildren from 

getting one.

Marcelle Leahy likes to make time for 

cancer prevention, education, and research 

programs. She is married to Senator Patrick 

Leahy of Vermont; they have 3 children and 

5 grandchildren. 

Are you a camp counselor, scout leader, or do you work with youth outdoors? 

If you answered yes, consider taking EPA’s 

new Sun Safety Certification for Outdoor 

Recreation Staff. The 30 to 40-minute 

online training walks you through the 

basics of why sun protection is important, 

how to be sun-safe, and how to protect 

the youth in your care from sunburns and 

other skin and eye damage. The training 

will help you implement sun safety tips 

when you’re outside with children.

Want to go one step further? Have 

everyone working at your camp, pool, 

recreation center, or park take the training 

and let your customers know your staff 

is SunWise-certified. The certification 

tells parents that your staff knows how to 

protect their children from the sun.

To become SunWise-certified, visit 

www.epa.gov/sunwise/tutorial.html.

Are You SunWise-Certified?
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (6205J)

Washington, DC 20460

Official Business

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February 2010

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Fun Facts

• You would need 62.8 gallons of 

sunscreen to protect the historic 

faces on Mount Rushmore.*

• Humans shed and regrow 

outer skin cells about every 

27 days—that’s almost 

1,000 new skins in a 

typical lifetime!*

• Every square inch of the 

human body has about 

9.5 million skin cells.*

• By age 70, the average 

person will have lost 105 

pounds of skin.*

• If the sun were hollow, you 

could fit about 1.3 million 

earths inside.*

• If you weigh 100 pounds, you 

would weigh approximately 

2,800 pounds on the sun.*

• Elephants use dirt and hay 

as a natural sunscreen—they 

spread it on their backs to 

cover their skin.† 

• Pigs and warthogs do not 

have sweat glands; they 

wallow in mud to keep cool 

and protect their skin from the 

sun’s harmful rays.† 

• Meerkats have black rings 

around their eyes to absorb 

the sun’s rays, protecting 

their eyes from sun damage.†

Source: *Skin Cancer Foundation, www.skincancer.org/school/

†Sunwise Stampede, www.foundation.sdsu.edu/sunwisestampede/meetanimals.html