Don't Fry Day

Sun Safety for Kids (SSK) is proud to have initiated the idea for Don't Fry Day.

In November, 2008 SSK's president, Dr. Jeff Ashley, presented a proposal to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention* (of which SSK is a member) in which he asked the Council to sponsor the observance of a national sun safety day. To emphasize avoidance of overexposure to the sun, Dr. Ashley suggested choosing a Friday and calling it "Don't Fry Day." The proposal was enthusiastically accepted by Council members, which include the American Cancer Society, American Academy of Dermatology, US EPA, and US CDC among some 40 additional medical and cancer advocacy organizations. After the Council agreed to serve as the official sponsor, the observance was set to take place on the Friday prior to Memorial Day each year. This date was chosen because many of the Council's member organizations focus their attention on skin cancer during the month of May, and because Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer holiday season.

SSK next proposed spotlighting a different aspect of sun safety each year. The Council agreed and designated 2009 "The Year of the Hat" to remind people to wear a sun-protective hat when outdoors.

Each Council member will promote Don't Fry Day to the member's own constituents. For example, Sun Safety for Kids has posted information about the event on this website, and has created a Don't Fry Day poster for children that warns of the dangers of overexposure to the sun and gives tips for sun protection. The poster also includes a scale for tracking the UV Index. SSK will mail a poster to every public and private elementary school in the state of California (almost 10,000 schools) and is providing a free downloadable version of the poster on this website. Also, SSK has developed lists of suggested activities and posted them to our website as ideas for primary schools and ideas for secondary schools.

With melanoma incidence rates still rising and one American dying every hour from skin cancer, Sun Safety for Kids certainly hopes that Don't Fry Day will heighten awareness about the simple steps that can be taken toward halting the skin cancer epidemic.

For more information, visit The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention at http://www.skincancerprevention.org/

* The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention is the united voice of 45 groups dedicated to reducing skin cancer morbidity and mortality in the United States. Council members represent some of the nation's premier researchers, clinicians and advocates for melanoma and skin cancer prevention (including Sun Safety for Kids).