By:Nick Buglione
That's why the East Meadow Little League, through the help and generosity of the East Meadow Kiwanis, the Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign, and other community leaders, recently launched an initiative to put roofs over the 14 dugouts at its seven ballfields in the Merrick Avenue sports complex.
"My involvement with this project initially started with a conversation with Ed Bergmann and Craig Roberts of the East Meadow Little League," said Dr. Alan Alterman, an East Meadow chiropractor and member of the East Meadow Kiwanis. "I was speaking to them about the lack of shade for any of the kids and coaches at the field."
Sun safety is an issue very close to Alterman's heart. Having lost his grandmother to the dreaded disease, Alterman has been diagnosed twice with it since 1999. "If it wasn't for a checkup I received in 1999 that detected melanoma," he said, "I wouldn't be alive today."
Through his illness Alterman hooked up with the Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign, a New Hyde Park-based organization dedicated to spreading the word about melanoma. Alterman got Colette Coyne, whose daughter of the same name died of melanoma in 1998 at the age of 30, to speak to little league officials about the importance of sun safety, especially when it comes to children.
"Our focus is the education of the youth and education in the community," Coyne said. "There is not enough awareness anywhere. No matter where I speak, people are shocked."
Characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing tanning cells, melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in the country, accounting for more than 80 percent of skin cancer deaths, Coyne said.
The best prevention is limited exposure to the sun, starting at an early age. In order to ensure East Meadow youngsters aren't absorbing too many harmful rays during games, Coyne's foundation donated $5,000 to the East Meadow Little League to put roofs over some of its dugouts at the Merrick Avenue ballfields. The East Meadow Kiwanis then kicked $3,000 toward the effort and the project just took off from there.
"I was surprised at the severity of it," said Craig Roberts, East Meadow Little League commissioner, on the prevalence of melanoma. "I was astonished at the amount of it out there."
Work to modify the dugouts began in April and continued through August, Roberts said. The construction was truly a team effort, with people from all over the community donating time, money and materials, he said.
Thanks to these various acts of charity, all 14 dugouts at the Merrick Avenue ballfields now have roofs over them.
"We want to promote covering on all playgrounds and Little League fields," Coyne said, noting that she hopes the East Meadow Little League project will encourage other leagues to follow suit.
"East Meadow Little League is in the vanguard of being sun smart," Alterman said. "I was happy to be involved in getting the ball rolling."
To learn more about melanoma, visit the Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign's Web site at www.ccmac.org.
