Contractor: Stony Brook Cancer Center
Topic: Sun Safety - Skin Cancer Prevention
School-age children are seated in a classroom wearing sunglasses and holding up their wrists to display their UV bead bracelets
Stony Brook Cancer Center’s CPiA Team congratulates Pronto of Long Island’s summer program for adopting two sun safety policies this summer season! Pronto of Long Island (LI) supports the needs of underserved families in Bay Shore, Brentwood and surrounding communities. The summer program provides fun, safe activities and healthy meals for children in need free of charge. Children learn and socialize during interactive activities indoors and play in the outdoor field space and Pronto’s community garden.
CPiA partnered with Pronto of LI to adopt two policies that reduce UV exposure and increase sun safety education for the programs children and staff, respectively. The young people who care for children all summer were provided with a skin cancer prevention training prior to the start of camp, and received sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats to protect themselves on the job. Children also received sunscreen and sunglasses, as well as a visit from, CPiA who led fun sun safety activities for the kids.
Ultraviolet (UV) rays that harm the skin are invisible to the naked eye, a concept that children may find hard to understand. So CPiA helped children make their own sun safety bracelets, with UV beads that glow purple in UV light. The kids were so proud of their bracelets and held them high to the sky to show them off! We then went outside to see the colors change, and the kids were slightly disappointed to see a minor change in color – the UV index was a 3 that day. Still, Pronto’s campers had a fun day with CPiA and learned something new about skin cancer prevention.
Thank you to Pronto of Long Island for taking action against skin cancer!
To learn more about Pronto of Long Island, visit: https://www.prontolongisland.org/