Realizing that there were not a lot of active indoor activities for children during the summer when sun exposure is at its maximum, FMC Arenas has begun promoting indoor skating as a safer alternative for children who are at risk of melanoma. FMC Arenas manages 25 indoor skating facilities around Massachusetts and has teamed up with the SHADE Foundation to offer an hour of free skating at eleven of their facilities every Saturday from 11:00 to Noon (including free skate rentals), starting in late June, for an eight-week period. The SHADE Foundation is dedicated to eradicating melanoma through the education of children and the community in the prevention and detection of skin cancer and the promotion of sun safety. The annual program that “Limits the Sun, Not the Fun” during summer vacation was created to a fun and healthy physical activity while also promoting Sun-Safety. Research shows that much of the damage to skin is done in the first 18 years of life. Protecting skin and eyes  can reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer by up to 78%. Melanoma is a cancer of younger people and can start as early as adolescence. For more information on the program at the Driscoll Memorial Skating Rink on Elsbree Street in Fall River (next to the East entrance to B.M.C. Durfee High School, contact Skating Director Keri Lee of the Bay State Blades.
 

(Top row, left and center) Sue DeLong, her son William and daughter Katie talk with Bay Skate Blades director Keri Lee as she sets up the display on Skating in the Shade in the Driscoll Memorial Skating Rink lobby. (Top row, right) Skaters Grace Gormley and Kelsey Mayall look over the literature on the program.  (Bottom row, left) William and Katie enjoy a vigorous skate around the rink. (Bottom row, right) Tracey Pereira watches her daughter Kelsey as she practices some of her routines for the Bay State Blades.