The John Wayne Cancer Foundation Donates $118,000 to Children's Hospital of Orange County for National Melanoma Awareness Project
JWCF’s Donation will Fund the National Melanoma Awareness Project, "Spot a Spot, Save a Life!"
NEWPORT BEACH, California May 8, 2007. The recent $118,000 donation from the John Wayne Cancer Foundation will allow the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Cancer Institute to partner with the National Melanoma Awareness Project created by two UC Irvine medical students in 2003. Under the leadership of Dr. Leonard Sender, medical director of the CHOC Cancer Institute, a full-time community health program manager will focus on expanding the program and increasing education and prevention efforts in the fight against skin cancer, which kills one person every hour in the nation.
Ethan Wayne, the youngest son of John Wayne, presented the donation to Dr. Sender during the “Duke At The Dunes” Centennial Celebration, a highlighted feature of the 8th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival (April 19 - 29, 2007). Of the donation, Ethan stated, “When it comes to cancer prevention, awareness education is the best place to start. Especially considering the number of kids involved in outdoor action sports here in Orange County, I’m confident this program will be a great success at CHOC.”
The National Melanoma Awareness Project, whose slogan is "Spot a Spot, Save a Life!", aims to educate students and their teachers in grades 6-12 about the sun's effects on skin, skin protection, and skin cancers with an emphasis on early detection of melanoma. The project seeks to leave students with an interest in teaching their friends and provides them with an opportunity to enter a poster contest, whereby winning entries are replicated and posted throughout the community, helping increase melanoma awareness.
The incidence of melanoma is rising at epidemic rates, and it is estimated that one in 50 people in the United States will be affected with the disease by 2010. Melanoma is associated with sun exposure, of which 80 percent occurs before the age of 18. This cancer affects people of all ages and is the most prevalent type of cancer among people ages 20 - 29. Melanoma is the number one cancer killer of women in that age group. It is estimated that increased public awareness and early detection could have prevented 95 percent of all melanoma deaths.
About CHOC
Making a mark in pediatric healthcare for more than 40 years and named one of the top children's hospitals in the nation by CHILD magazine, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) is exclusively committed to the health and well being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy and outreach. CHOC's growing healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several community clinics, a residency program that trains tomorrow's pediatricians, four centers of excellence -the Heart, Cancer, Orthopaedic and Neuroscience Institutes, and a Research Institute that brings advanced treatment to our patients.
CHOC recently earned the "Excellence in Patient Safety & Health Care Quality Award" from the state's leading health plans, and was one of only nine children's hospitals in the nation to be named to the Leapfrog "Top Hospitals 2006" list, based on results from The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Quality and Safety Survey. For more information about CHOC, visit www.choc.org or call 714-997-3000.
About John Wayne Cancer Foundation
The Wayne family created the John Wayne Cancer Foundation (JWCF) in 1985 to honor their father and bring courage, strength and grit to the fight against cancer. Since its founding, JWCF has supported awareness programs, education programs and support groups and has aligned with like-minded groups and non-profits that advance the fight against cancer, such as the Lance Armstrong Foundation. JWCF has also been committed to groundbreaking cancer research and education at the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI). For more information please visit www.jwcf.org.
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