Melanoma Foundation of New England Receives Arbella Insurance Foundation Gift to Expand Free Sunscreen Program

20/06/2016 12:13

BOSTON, June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Melanoma Foundation of New England (MFNE), a non-profit aimed at reducing the incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, today announces a $25,000 gift from the Arbella Insurance Foundation that will allow its Practice Safe Skin program to expand to 50 more locations in Massachusetts, providing free sunscreen for public use.

"We love the idea of placing sunscreen dispensers in public areas," said Beverly Tangvik, president of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. "All too often, we forget to apply or bring it with us and we know that overexposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun can be very dangerous. We applaud MFNE for being so innovative and we're proud to help support the fight against skin cancer."

The 50 dispensers will be distributed to: SOMA Marlborough (10), Bourne (2), Orleans (2), Provincetown (2), Eastham (2), Brewster (2), Chatham (2), Sandwich (2), Harwich (2), Brookline (6), Medfield (2), Milton (5), Hanover (5), Sharon (2) and Somerville (4). The number of Practice Safe Skin sunscreen dispensers now totals 370 nationwide.

"It is our hope that more organizations like the Arbella Insurance Foundation recognize the importance of sun protection as a simple, yet effective, way to reduce one's risk of developing melanoma. Our goal is to continue to educate and these dispensers act as a reminder to use sunscreen. One day, we hope they will be as commonplace as hand sanitizer," said Deb Girard, Executive Director, Melanoma Foundation of New England.

The specially designed dispensers, which will be installed this summer, are part of Practice Safe Skin, a program that offers sunscreen as an effective preventive measure to help avoid sun over-exposure year round. Each sunscreen dispenser is equipped with four 1000 mL bags of sunscreen (1000 applications per bag) and contains an all-natural blend of 6% zinc and 6% titanium SPF-30 sunscreen, safe for people aged 6-months and up. Ingredients are printed on the machines upon installation.

Melanoma is rising faster than any other cancer with one person every 50 minutes dying from the disease. Studies show that with daily sunscreen protection, the risk of melanoma is preventable.

Business or non-profits wishing to purchase a sunscreen dispenser can do so by visiting http://mfne.org/practice-safe-skin/ or calling 800-557-6352. Individuals can also help through crowd funding at www.crowdrise.com/PracticeSafeSkin.

Photos available for download here.

About Practice Safe Skin
In response to the Surgeon General's 2014 Call to Action to address skin cancer as a major public concern, MFNE launched a pilot program called Practice Safe Skin during the summer 2015 to donate free sunscreen throughout Boston parks and Massachusetts beaches at no cost to taxpayers. Following the success of the pilot program, MFNE expanded Practice Safe Skin to cities and businesses across the country and is continuing to donate free sunscreen dispensers to the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Recreation for state beaches in 2016. MFNE is subsidizing the cost and procurement of the free public units through private and corporate sponsorship donations, and funds raised by MFNE's Running for Cover marathon team. MFNE is also using this platform to expand year-round public education programs aimed at melanoma prevention and detection.

About the Arbella Insurance Group and the Arbella Insurance Foundation
Established in 1988, the Arbella Insurance Group (http://www.arbella.com/) is a company with over $850 million in revenue with over $1 billion in assets, headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts. Arbella is a customer-focused regional property and casualty insurance company, providing personal and business insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and business insurance in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Arbella Insurance Group founded the Arbella Insurance Foundation in 2004. The mission of Arbella's Foundation is to engage in activities and to support not-for-profit organizations that have a significant positive impact on the people and communities served by Arbella.