May 3, 2016
As a commercial solar company, Solect realizes just how powerful the sun can be. That is why each May we recognize Melanoma Awareness Month, to help spread awareness and educate the outdoor & construction worker community about the impact of sun exposure on health. Most importantly, we want to make sure our installers and others in the construction industry take the necessary precautions to help prevent harmful sun exposure on the job.
Solect is a proud supporter of the Melanoma Foundation of New England (MFNE). Through our partnership with the MFNE, Solect has co-sponsored a sunscreen dispenser for the town of Hopkinton – premiered at the start line of the 2016 Boston Marathon and soon to be placed at the Fruit Street Athletic Complex in Hopkinton, MA. This dispenser provides free sunscreen to anyone who needs to stay protected from the sun.
Additionally, Solect continued the tradition of hosting the MFNE marathon team, “Running for Cover,” for the 2016 Boston Marathon. The team had over 40 runners this year, with 5 volunteers and staff members and over 1,000 donors. They raised $370,000 to benefit MFNE’s mission of melanoma prevention, education, support, and advocacy in the fight against melanoma. The money raised will go raised goes to free programming like Your Skin Is In, The Skinny On Skin and Practice Safe Skin, and provides support for those undergoing melanoma treatment. Anything raised helps support these efforts. Solect hosts the running team every year during the Boston Marathon, in our office located across the street from the “Athletes’ Village”. In addition, Solect has been MFNE’s corporate partner over the last several years, sponsoring Melanoma Awareness Month in May 2015, as well as other annual events.
Skin cancer is a serious and preventative disease, but in order to stay safe and healthy it is imperative to protect your skin while going outside, and get any abnormal skin spots checked early. Melanoma is growing at an epidemic rate with an estimated 3% increase in cases annually. An estimated 63,000 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed yearly, with approximately 8,000 deaths yearly from malignant melanoma and another 2,500 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers. One person dies every hour from skin cancer, primarily melanoma.
Solect is dedicated to working with the MFNE to make sure the sun’s energy is being harnessed for good and reduce the incidence of melanoma through education and advocacy.
Get more information on preventing, diagnosing and treating melanoma at mfne.org. For sun safety tips, please visit: https://solect.com/company/community-involvement/melanoma-awareness. /