May is Skin Cancer Awareness month, and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation wants to help kids “Block the Blaze.”
Named after the late actor who called Newport Beach home, John Wayne Cancer Foundation is a Newport Beach-based nonprofit organization that is committed to fighting cancer through courage, strength and grit.
The organization has announced in a press release that it will partner with TropicSport, a reef-friendly sunscreen and skin care line, to provide co-branded mineral facesticks to youth across the U.S. while educating them about the dangers of sun exposure through its skin cancer education program, Block the Blaze.
Block the Blaze is funded by John Wayne Cancer Foundation, a leader in youth skin cancer education and prevention. They educate nearly 25,000 junior lifeguards every summer and another 50,000 youth in school presentations throughout the year.
“We understand that it’s not realistic to ask youth to avoid outdoor activities during peak hours of exposure, which is why it’s so important to teach sun safety and encourage them to take precautions while enjoying time outside,” stated Ethan Wayne, John Wayne’s son and chairman of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, in the press release. “With May being the official month of Skin Cancer Awareness, we take this issue very seriously and believe every child and teenager deserves to know how they can prevent and reduce their own risk of developing common types of skin cancer. It is wonderful to have TropicSport by our side, helping us to provide protective sunscreen to junior lifeguards along the coast.”
Block the Blaze is the official partner of the California Surf Lifesaving Association to provide skin cancer education to California junior lifeguards. Now expanded into more than a dozen additional states, the program educates youth through in-person presentations surrounding sun safety and skin cancer with an emphasis on prevention and self-screening.
In addition, participants receive a co-branded JWCF x TropicSport SPF 30 facestick which is water resistant, non-toxic, and ocean and reef-friendly, as well as a JWCF Block the Blaze trucker hat to aid in protecting themselves from the sun.
Throughout the school year, JWCF staff educate students by giving longer, in-depth presentations than those taught during summer. Participants of all Block the Blaze programs learn the “5 Sun Safe Tips” to decrease their risk of developing skin cancer along with the ABCDE’s of melanoma and how to go on “Mole Patrol” (self-screening) each month.
“May is also recognized as National Water Safety Month, so we felt that this partnership would be an excellent fit as the overall mission of Block the Blaze aligns quite well with that of our own brand,” noted TropicSport CEO, Tony Palmer, in the press release. “As a company founded by 4th generation Lifeguards, we understand the importance of safe and quality sunscreen; therefore, we were thrilled Block the Blaze chose our TropicSport ocean and reef friendly mineral sun stick to provide to youth during their summer presentations.”
While Block the Blaze summer presentations remain scheduled to take place in-person starting in mid-June, there may be changes to certain details and logistics due to COVID-19. With beaches beginning to reopen, Block the Blaze is prepared to get out on the sand and continue to educate Junior Lifeguards.
For more information about John Wayne Cancer Foundation’s Block the Blaze program, or to participate in an upcoming presentation, please visit johnwayne.org/blocktheblaze.
Founded in 1985, the John Wayne Cancer Foundation was created in honor of John Wayne after his family promised to use his name to continue his fight against cancer. Fight cancer with true grit at johnwayne.org.
