School Educational Programs:

Middle School Sun Safe Awareness Program

In the Spring of 2015, approximately 4000 students participated in our hour long, skin cancer awareness and prevention program, administered by Hackensack University Medical Center. The program is comprised of a PowerPoint outlining SunSafety Action Steps, the ABCDE's of Melanoma, the UV Index and includes the presentation of “The Dark Side of the Sun”, produced and distributed by the Mollie Biggane Foundation. The Promise Foundation distributed cinch sacks filled with sunscreen, UV sensitive bracelets and our brochure to all students in the 6th-8th grades of the following schools:

Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Ridgewood
Ho-Ho-Kus Middle School
Glen Rock Middle School
Franklin Avenue Middle School, Franklin Lakes
George Washington Middle School, Ridgewood
Eisenhower Middle School, Wyckoff

Elementary School Program
Somerville Elementary, Ridgewood

The Promise presented this elementary school program with grade-wide assemblies for grades K-2 and grades 3-5. Children learned the importance of protecting themselves in the sun through a short presentation and "Sun Safe" activities where their knowledge of sun safety was tested. Our message was reinforced through the distribution of sunscreen and "Sun Safe" themed novelties.

Camp Programs:

The Promise, together with our partners at Hackensack University Medical Center, provided skin cancer awareness education to over 1000 counselors and campers at the following summer day camps:

Ridgewood Recreation Day Camp, Ridgewood, NJ
Indian Trail Club, Franklin Lakes, NJ

In addition to the introductory skin cancer awareness program, daily messages and reminders of prevention are presented to the campers on a Sun Safe Message Board. The campers at Graydon Camp participated in "The Promise Day", where campers in grades 1-4 enjoyed various field games that reinforced the Sun Safety message. All campers and counselors were given a cinch bag with a free sunscreen.

Community Events:

The Promise is present at highly attended local events distributing awareness/prevention materials.

Lax Day, Ridgewood NJ
Maroons Soccer Father’s Day Tournament, Ridgewood NJ
Relay For Life, Paramus, NJ
Indian Trail Club Triathlon, Franklin Lakes NJ
APTA Platform Tennis National Championships, Franklin Lakes NJ
Wiffle For Cancer Tournament, Ridgewood NJ
University of Michigan IPromiseChallenge, Ann Arbor, MI
Mayor's Wellness Festival, Ridgewood NJ
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Street Fair, Ridgewood NJ
Nyack Senior High School Health and Wellness Fair, Nyack, NY

Skin Cancer Screenings:

The Promise supports free skin cancer screenings performed by medical doctors.

Through our partnerships with Hackensack University Medical Center and The Valley Hospital, over 250 adults were given free body screenings in 2015.

Donation of Shade Tents:

Numerous shade tents have been donated to Ridgewood High School, local youth sports teams, pools and middle schools. Look for the Promise logo, and protect yourself from the sun!

Support of the Melanoma Research Alliance:

The MRA is the largest non-government funder of melanoma research. In 2011, we made a $20,000 donation to the alliance to fund research which specifically targets the prevention pillar of our mission. To date, the MRA has funded over $67 million to better prevent, diagnose and treat melanoma with the goal of ultimately finding a cure. The MRA website is www.curemelanoma.org.

Melanoma Action Coalition:

In 2015, we proudly became one of the 1st several organizations to join the Melanoma Action Coalition (MAC). MAC is a group of community-based melanoma foundations and individuals from across the United States working together to share information and provide mutual support. MAC is dedicated to combining voices in ways that make our members more effective advocates for melanoma awareness, education, prevention, and research.