IMPACT Melanoma partnership offers awareness, sunscreen at parks
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department officials have partnered with IMPACT Melanoma, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing skin cancer.
The collaboration, Phoenix Parks and Recreation officials say, aims to enhance sun safety practices at various splash pad locations across the municipality by providing free sunscreen to park visitors.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 100,640 individuals in the United States will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2024 alone.
“Our desert environment exposes us to intense UV radiation, making sun protection a critical aspect of public health,” said Phoenix Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Aguilar. “By joining forces with IMPACT Melanoma, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the well-being of our community members and promote sun-safe behaviors.”
MPACT Melanoma Executive Director Deb Girard echoed a similar sentiment.
“IMPACT Melanoma is thrilled to partner with Phoenix Parks and Recreation to share melanoma prevention education and provide free sunscreen at neighborhood splash pads,” she said in a prepared statement.
IMPACT Melanoma is supplying six portable sunscreen dispensers to be strategically placed at select splash pad locations throughout Phoenix.
These dispensers will be regularly maintained and refilled with sunscreen throughout the 2024 splash pad season, which runs until Tuesday, Oct. 1.
The six splash pad sites participating in this initiative include:
- Altadena Park – 3711 E. Altadena Ave.
- Margaret T. Hance Park – 67 W. Culver St.
- El Oso Park – 3451 N. 75th Ave.
- Mariposa Park – 3150 W. Morten Ave.
- Nuestro Park – 1433 S. 9th St.
- Trailside Point Park – 7215 W. Vineyard Road.
Officials at City Hall report the partnership agreement was unanimously approved by the Parks and Recreation board.
