SHADE Foundation To Host Fourth Annual "Pitchin' Posters Congressional Reception"

September 19^th event will honor Co-Chairs Gail Huff and Suzie Dicks, along with a student winner of a national poster contest

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The SHADE Foundation of America will be honoring Gail Huff with its prestigious "Rays of Hope Award" in recognition of her efforts to promote skin cancer awareness and prevention. 

The SHADE Foundation's Fourth Annual "Pitchin' Posters Congressional Reception," will be held September 19^th  at 5:00 p.m. at the American Gas Association (Hall of States, located at 400 N. Capitol Street NW in Washington, D.C.).

Congressman Peter King (R – NY), a past recipient of the "Rays of Hope Award," will be in attendance and will be a featured speaker at the event.

Huff, who is a television reporter for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. and is married to United States Senator Scott Brown (R – MA), has been a vocal advocate for cancer detection and prevention. For the past several years, she has worked extensively with the SHADE Foundation to raise awareness of malignant melanoma.

"I am honored to be recognized by the SHADE Foundation with a 'Rays of Hope Award'," said Huff. "Raising awareness of cancer is an important issue for our family. It's something my husband and I both believe in passionately. Personally, I am proud to work together with the SHADE Foundation as we seek to educate people, and particularly young people, about the dangers of skin cancer and the need for prevention and early detection. I thank the members of the Foundation and those who support its work for their efforts across the country."

This year, Huff joined the 2011 "Rays of Hope Award" winner Suzie Dicks, wife of Congressman Norm Dicks (D–WA), to co-chair a nationwide poster contest for school children with the goal of educating young people about the dangers of skin cancer and the need for sun protection.  The poster contest was an enormous success, receiving thousands of online submissions.  During the September 19^th reception, the SHADE Foundation will recognize an Albuquerque, N.M., student as the winner of the contest. The student winner, whose first name is Sueda, will receive a family trip to Disney World, courtesy of the Walt Disney World Resort.

The SHADE Foundation of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating melanoma through the education of children and the community. The Foundation also works to promote sun safety and to emphasize skin cancer prevention and early detection. The SHADE Foundation was founded by Shonda Schilling in 2002, following her own battle with malignant melanoma.

"The mission of educating young people about the danger of skin cancer is very personal to me," said Schilling, SHADE Foundation President and a mother of four. "One of the best ways we can save lives and reduce the impact of this terrible disease on families is to increase awareness and emphasize the need for prevention. I appreciate the support of people who embrace our mission, including those whose efforts we honor with our 'Rays of Hope Award,' along with the many others who contribute to the goals of The SHADE Foundation."

"It is a pleasure to honor Gail Huff, who is doing the important work of raising awareness of skin cancer," said James Norton, SHADE Foundation National Board Member and Chair of the annual event. "The SHADE Foundation is proud to have such special partners in our mission. We also appreciate the efforts of Congressman King, who has served as a valued legislative backer of our work, as well as Suzie Dicks and the Walt Disney World Resort for their contributions. And, of course, we are forever thankful to our founder, Shonda Schilling, for her tireless devotion to our cause, and to the many individuals who support our work across the country."

Every year, more than 2.3 million people are diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. Early detection and prevention, especially among children, are essential to help reduce the number of diagnoses.  The ten-year goals of the SHADE Foundation aim to lower the number of diagnoses nationwide by educating 100,000 children on the need for sun safety and by providing over 10 million hours of SHADE to young people. The foundation also aims to promote 306 million awareness impressions, one for every American.

Previous Pitchin' Posters Co-Chairs include Stephene Moore (2009), Marcel Leahy (2010) and Suzie Dicks (2011).

For more information, please visit www.shadefoundation.org. "10 years of preventing skin cancer through education."

SOURCE SHADE Foundation of America