Self-Help Enterprises Receives Shade Structure Grant

Self-Help Enterprises Receives Shade Structure Grant

Posted on April 14, 2017

Self-Help Enterprises has been named the recipient of a 2017 Shade Structure Program Grant by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The grant will provide up to $8,000 for the purchase and installation of a permanent shade structure over the play structure at Villa de Guadalupe, Self-Help Enterprises’ apartment rental community in Orosi. Self-Help Enterprises is one of several organizations this year to receive a grant from the AAD’s Shade Structure Program.

With temperatures reaching above 90 degrees for several days in the summer, the shade structure will protect the 95 children residing at Villa de Guadalupe from the dangers of sun exposure. The new shade structure over the playground will also increase exercise and recreation activities, especially during the hottest months when the playground equipment may have been too hot for use previously. To teach children and youth about the importance of sun protection. Self-Help Enterprises has developed a sun safety awareness plan and implemented the AAD approved curriculum “Good Skin Knowledge” and “Gigi Sun Safety Toolkit” in the afterschool program.

Visalia dermatologist Joy Torakawa, MD, FAAD, a member of the Academy, sponsored the grant application.

Children and teens are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of the sun because of their time spent outdoors. Seeking shade is an easy way to reduce the risk of skin cancer. In addition to seeking shade, the Academy recommends everyone protect their skin from the sun by covering up and wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

Self-Help Enterprises will be holding a dedication ceremony for the new shade structure after its installation. Watch this space for details.

While skin cancer is highly treatable when caught in its earliest stages, skin cancer can be deadly. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is now the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old, and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old.

Since the Academy founded the Shade Structure Grant Program in 2000, more than 320 shade structure grants have been awarded to organizations across the country. These structures provide shade for more than half a million individuals each day.

The Shade Structure Grant Program is part of the Academy’s SPOT Skin Cancer™ campaign to reduce the incidence of skin cancer by educating the public about effective skin cancer prevention tips. To learn more about the Shade Structure Grant Program or for ways to prevent and detect skin cancer, visit www.SpotSkinCancer.org.