Programs

SHADE Foundation of America’s pro­grams sup­port our mis­sion to edu­cate and pre­vent skin cancer.

Poster Contest

The SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest helps edu­cate chil­dren in Kindergarten through eighth grades about sun safety. A recent study from the EPA shows that 2 hours of sun safety edu­ca­tion reduces the inci­dence of sun­burn in chil­dren by 11 per­cent. The poster con­test gives edu­ca­tors an addi­tional tool for cre­at­ing sun safety aware­ness. We have received over 85,000 posters from chil­dren who par­tic­i­pate in the nation­wide con­test. It is easy to par­tic­i­pate and open to all stu­dents in grades K-8. Learn more about our Poster Contest.

Limit the Sun, Not the Fun

Limit the Sun, Not the Fun encour­ages sun safe lifestyles. Whether it is spend­ing those high UV hours of 10 am to 4 pm in a museum or bowl­ing at your local alley, it is impor­tant to engage in some activ­i­ties out of the sun. Additional resources at Limit the Sun, Not the Fun!

Learning sun safe behav­iors can begin at an early age. Make apply­ing sun­screen a daily habit by hav­ing your chil­dren put on their sun­screen before they get dressed every day. Make sure when your chil­dren play out­doors they wear a hat, pro­tec­tive cloth­ing and sun­glasses to pro­tect del­i­cate skin and eyes. Be a role model for your chil­dren and take these same mea­sures to pro­tect your­self every day! Most skin can­cers are the result of cumu­la­tive UV dam­age and over half of all new can­cers diag­nosed are skin cancers.

SHADE Covers

The SHADE Cover Program pro­vides direct pro­tec­tion from dan­ger­ous ultra vio­let (UV) radi­a­tion to schools and com­mu­nity orga­ni­za­tions. UV rays are the strongest from 10 am to 4 pm, right when we are send­ing our chil­dren out to play. Just one blis­ter­ing sun­burn can dou­ble a child’s risk for skin can­cer. It is cru­cial we give our kids (and adults) a safe place to play. Studies con­ducted here and abroad indi­cate shade cov­ers are highly used and effec­tive as UV pro­tec­tion. SHADE Foundation has pro­vided 20 mil­lion hours of shade by pro­vid­ing assis­tance to put up over 150 shade cov­ers. Learn more about our SHADE Covers.