Lynly Brennan in St. Louis, Missouri
IMPACT Melanoma is proud of the work we do in communities throughout the United States. The following is a conversation with 16-year-old Lynly Brennan – a junior at Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, solicited information and raised money to have a half-dozen of our sunscreen dispenser units installed throughout the St. Louis area. It’s people like Lynly that help us in our quest to raise awareness and extinguish incidences of skin cancer worldwide.
IMPACT Melanoma: How’d you learn about IMPACT Melanoma?
Lynly Brennan: I learned about IMPACT Melanoma originally by the name of “The Melanoma Foundation of New England” when researching for a project in English class. I was studying the impact of tanning beds on young peoples skin. Then when I was just starting the sunscreen dispensers I had seen some other places had used IMPACT.
IM: Tell us about your project? What was the scope? What were your goals?
LB: It started out as a summer project just to see what easy and useful thing I could do for the community and I read about these dispensers in a Boston newspaper. I then sent out a bunch of letter to local dermatologists and others. Much to my surprise, it really expanded rapidly. My goals originally were to just put a dispenser in my local (one) pool, but because the funding was abundant, I am planning on putting around six dispensers!
IM: What was the process like for you with regard to engaging with IMPACT Melanoma and figuring out the logistics of whether or not this was even possible?
LB: Laurie was beyond helpful. She gave me advice, and even helped me save money.
IM: How many dispensers did you purchase/install?
LB: Right now there are 2 installed, 1 that will be put in in the beginning of next summer. And 3 on their way.
IM: Where did you install dispensers?
LB: Clayton Shaw park aquatic center in Clayton, Missouri. University City Heman Park Pool in University City, Missouri. And the third to be installed next summer is the Maplewood/Richmond Heights Family Aquatics center in Maplewood, Missouri.
IM: What good do you hope comes of them?
LB: I hope that I spread awareness especially to young people about sun safety. I also hope that people will use the sunscreen and get into the habit of wearing sunscreen regularly,,
IM: What is your own personal philosophy in regard to sun safety?
LB: I am a naturally tan person. But, you won’t catch me tanning by a pool, or soaking up the sun, unprotected. I think that sunscreen can save lives and it just takes a little nudge for people to realize this. I play sports so naturally I get tan from that but I won’t step foot onto the field without sunscreen.
IM: What sort of impact does this project leave on your community? How have they been received and what are next steps in assuring that they are properly utilized and taken advantage of?
LB: My hope is that people will start thinking about sun safety and the importance of sunscreen. They’ve been very popular among the Clayton pool and University City pool. I’ve heard many stories of people using it, even at 5 am in the morning and at 6 pm at night. You can never be too careful! Honestly, I can’t force people to wear sunscreen but kids find the automatic dispensers fun to play with, and the adults seem to enjoy the skin safety. And everyone, of course, loves the fact that it’s free.
IM: What’s your battle cry sound like with regard to getting surrounding communities in your area, and across the globe, to adopt a similar proactive approach to helping combat skin cancer with these dispensing devices?
LB: People just need to realize that sunscreen saves lives. And young people need to realize that whatever you do now, effects their skin later in life. Installing these sunscreen dispensers will change the way you think about your skin.
Check out Lynly on her local FOX News affiliate for more on her incredible story: www.fox2now.com/2017/07/17/local-teen-raises-funds-to-make-sunscreen-available-for-free-at-area-pools
