PARIS — With the official advent of summer just around the corner, the timing is right for two new sunscreen dispensers that were recently installed at the Gouin Athletic Complex to help people to protect against skin cancer.

The two dispensers, along with four bags of all natural, organic sunscreen, were awarded to the Oxford Hills Skin Cancer Initiative by the Melanoma Foundation of New England and erected at the Alpine Street complex in May.

Chuck Martin, a melanoma survivor and head of the Oxford Hills Skin Cancer Initiative, requested the free dispensers. Right now, he’s focusing on having athletes and their families use the SPF 30 sunscreen to help prevent melanoma and other skin cancers.

“I thought this would work nicely,” he said last week from his science classroom at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. “Most of them now, student athletes, carry sunscreen in their bag. … For those kids who don’t, this is a great idea.”

Martin is aware some sort of funding is needed to keep the free sunscreen program going. He hopes he will be able to secure grant money to avoid adding more burden on taxpayers. He will teach health next school year as this curriculum will be reintroduced to freshmen and he plans on including a unit on skin cancer. He will have his students study the best locations for the dispensers and research ways to fund the initiative.

“I really want my kids involved with that,” Martin said.

He also plans to use fellow teacher Brewster Burns’ photograph of softball players Sophia Hanscom and Krystin Paine donning sunscreen at the dispensers as a promotional tool. The photograph will be turned into a poster and read “Let’s knock out skin cancer,” and placed outside the locker rooms at the high school.

The sunscreen dispensers are part of the Melanoma Foundation of New England’s Practice Safe Skin Program, according to Executive Director Deb Girard. Last year, the nonprofit launched a pilot program where 50 dispensers were distributed in Boston and across state parks in Massachusetts.

In January, the organization called for municipalities, tourist attractions, organizations and businesses across the area to participate in the expanded program. In 2016, 54 sunscreen dispenser locations were added in 12 states, including one each in Belfast and York in Maine.

Girard said the foundation used 2015 to work out the kinks of the program.

“We had started with a premise that we were going to use all natural, organic sunscreen in SPF 30 because we didn’t want a distraction about people being concerned about getting chemicals,” she said. “We also decided we wanted to have a sensor [on the dispensers] because we didn’t want people to be concerned about having germs.”

As for Martin and the melanoma, his wife found a spot on his abdomen about eight years ago that while initially looked benign, turned out to be the most deadly form of skin cancer.

“It’s a scary thing. You go through the same thing all cancer diagnoses go through, you get that hollow pit in your stomach,” he said. “Right now I am considered cancer free. I wanted to reach out people and help people, especially these young people who think it’s OK to bake in these tanning booths.”

Since spearheading the Oxford Hills Skin Cancer Initiative, Martin has obtained a number of grants to help with education and programming. This ranges from erecting UV index signs at local beaches and the athletic complex to public service announcements on WOXO to promoting a tan-free prom at the high school the past four years.

“That’s been really popular,” Martin said about the tan-free prom, where participants are awarded prizes for skipping the tanning booth before the big dance. “We’re really trying to hit the 18 to 26 year [old] crowd about not using tanning booths … and being accepting of their skin tones. … It’s been a big eye opener.”

Martin – who is working with a fellow teacher who has also had skin cancer – is also trying to secure grant money to plant trees at the Paris Elementary School playground, which currently has no shade. He wants to help prevent all types of skin cancer as early as possible.

“I think people need to be aware of the fact that melanoma rates are very high in Maine,” he said. “You’re seeing people my age, in their 50s and 60s, now are getting melanoma because of not using sunscreen.”

From 2008-10, an average of 355 Mainers were diagnosed with melanoma, according to the 2014 Maine Cancer Surveillance Report by the Maine Center for Disease Control.

As for the Melanoma Foundation of New England, Girard said her organization is looking for more participants in the Practice Safe Skin Program. Anyone wishing to apply for a dispenser can call Girard at 978-371-5613 or visit http://mfne.org/practice-safe-skin/.

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