Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking interest in the Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Skin Cancer Initiative. We would not be able to continue this effort without all our friends helping us raise funds and accomplish our goal.

One out of every five people in the United States will develop skin cancer at some point in their lifetime. Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer and is caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. Education on prevention techniques and making sunscreen available to as many people as possible can save lives.

As a professional baseball player, I spent most of my life in the sun, mostly without sunscreen. As my career was reaching great heights, my skin was paying the price.

In August of 2013, I had a biopsy come back positive for melanoma. It began a challenge tougher than any I ever had as an athlete. The diagnosis truly shaped my life and I made it my mission to help educate people about early detection and protection to help prevent skin cancer.

As a board member of the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation, I have taken an area of RDK to Philadelphia in an effort to grow our programs nationally. I figured the best place for me to start is the city I played baseball in for 20 years. In 2021 we outfitted all of Citizens Bank Park with our sunscreen dispensers for Phillies fans to use at day games this summer. This year, I am eager to bring more of these dispensers to the schools, parks, sports fields, and running trails in city of Philadelphia.

Remember to wear SPF 30 or higher sunscreen and re-apply every two hours, and also wear a wide brimmed hat and long sleeve clothing, when possible, outdoors this summer.

– Mike Schmidt