About project backpack™

The idea for Project Backpack™ arose when Supergoop! Founder and CEO, Holly Thaggard's daughter came home from her first grade class prior to an outdoor field trip with a note in her backpack stating that any sunscreen included in a child's backpack would be discarded. Because sunscreens are regulated by the FDA as over the counter drugs, they are prohibited from many schools in America. California is now the only state to allow the use of sunscreen during the school day without a physician's note or prescription. Although aware such laws existed, the incident served as a catalyst to officially launch Project Backpack™ and further cemented Holly's commitment to advocating for sunscreen and sun education in schools.

"As a parent I was upset and as a suncare professional, I was discouraged that sun protection laws are so antiquated." said Holly Thaggard, Founder and CEO of Supergoop! "How does a law exist that prohibits the use of sunscreen at school? I decided that there needed to be an effective platform for concerned parents to contest such counterintuitive legislation."

Get Involved

HOW CAN I HELP?

1. SIGN A PETITION to encourage the use of sun protection and for U.S. states, school boards and principals to amend antiquated sun protection policies or to create policies that encourage the use of daily sun protection.
2. BECOME A PROJECT BACKPACK AMBASSADOR. Ambassadors can be a parent, teacher, nurse, administrator, faculty member, or a high school level student that feels strongly about promoting sun safety in their school. Sign up to be an ambassador by clicking here. Ambassadors serve as the primary contact for the Supergoop! Provide and Protect Team. Supergoop! will regularly share with Ambassadors sun safety tips, suggestions to organize school events, arrange for the Supergoop! SPF shipments and coordinate personal appearances in the school with our team but also the ambassador will be available to receive replenishment SPF products for their schools backpacks throughout the year. We aim to give repeatedly so as to allow students to continue healthy SPF habits throughout the school year.
3. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE and support Project Backpack™ by purchasing Supergoop! SPF 30+ Everyday Lotion in retail locations nationwide. Each time you purchase, we give one sunscreen to partner schools.
4. NOMINATE AND ADVOCATE the program in your child's school by signing your school up here.
5. "LIKE" PROJECT BACKPACK ON FACEBOOK and stay up to date on our progress, plus add Project Backpack to your Pinterest board.

How We Provide Sunscreen

HOW DO PARTNER SCHOOLS RECEIVE
DONATED SUNSCREEN?

Supergoop! will provide backpack-sized sunscreen tubes to partner schools with a school ambassador in place. By participating in Project Backpack, the school faculty and staff have committed to help educate children on the importance of daily sunscreen use. Partner schools will host a forum or similar to teach children the reasons for application, how to apply from their tube, and recommend the most convenient place to keep their personal Supergoop!. The teachers and faculty will then encourage sunscreen application prior to recess, field trips or other activities that require great amounts of sun exposure. At this time California is the only state in which children are legally able to apply sun protection directly to themsleves, while nationally policies vary by state, district and principal. Supergoop! feels strongly that children learn to apply sunscreen themselves so as to develop healthy skincare habits at a young age. The sunscreens will be shipped to select schools and distributed accordingly.

WHEN DO PARTNER SCHOOLS RECEIVE
DONATED SUNSCREEN?

Backpack-sized sunscreens will ship to and replenish partner schools three times a year beginning with back-to-school 2012. A holiday shipment will follow as a reminder that UV damage can occur year-round. The last shipment of the school year will be in early spring to prepare students for warmer weather and increased sun exposure moving into Spring/Summer.

Sign your school up for the program here.

Where We Provide

Sign your school up for the program here.

What We Give

PROTECT. REPAIR.

Participating schools will receive Supergoop! SPF 40 Antioxidant-Infused Sunscreen Day Cream (1 oz.), a $16 value. Your face's best daily defense against damaging UVA/UVB rays now delivers a second active layer of protection against UV radiation leaving behind nothing but a shine-free, healthy, and protected face.

KEY INGREDIENTS:
Super antioxidant, anti-inflammatory olive oil polyphenols combined with pomegranate and green tea extracts, infused into a hypoallergenic mineral SPF that will not irritate even the most sensitive skin types.

Apply daily to face and neck after cleansing, follow with moisturizer and foundation, if desired. Safe for infants, 4 months and up.

Provide & Protect Tour

Project Backpack is coming to a city near you!

Come meet brand founder, Holly Thaggard, as she offers sunscreen tips and shares her inspiration behind Project Backpack.

(List of tour dates coming soon...)

Our Progress

Coming soon...

Project Backpack Ambassador

We invite you to become a Project Backpack Ambassador! As an ambassador you are the link from Supergoop! and Project Backpack to your community. Ambassadors are chosen in select locations to champion the cause of providing sun protection to our school-aged youth and are integral in establishing Project Backpack on their campus or within their school board. Ambassadors help promote Project Backpack by coordinating Provide and Protect events, spreading awareness, distributing Supergoop! sunscreen to partner schools and by staying up to date with the campaign by receiving Project Backpack email blasts with updates about the campaign. When you sign up to be an Ambassador, you:

• Support Project Backpack, Supergoop!, daily sun protection habits and sunscreen on campus
• Agree to promote Project Backpack through whatever means you have, such as attending school board meetings, encouraging school faculty to participate, posting the logo or status updates on your Facebook, Twitter, Blog, sending emails to your family and friends, spreading awareness of Project Backpack and encouraging on campus participation of Project Backpack.
• Agree to help distribute sunscreen to your partner school(s).
• Agree to receive Project Backpack email updates.

To become an Ambassador, fill out the form below. Use the optional "Reason" field to briefly tell us why you're interested; this information along with your first name may be shared on Facebook.

Items with an an asterisk (*) are required.

Project Backpack School Nomination Form

Supergoop! through Project Backpack has created a program to that provides sunscreen to select partner schools to help end the skin cancer epidemic and encourage daily sun protection habits. We invite you to nominate your school to become a Project Backpack Partner School! Partner schools receive Supergoop! sunscreen throughout the school year*, at no cost. Schools are chosen in select locations and must have an ambassador to establish and champion the cause of Project Backpack on their campus. Support Project Backpack, Supergoop!, daily sun protection habits and sunscreen on campus by nominating your school today!

*Sunscreen is given as determined by Supergoop!

Items with an an asterisk (*) are required.