ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading
provider of voluntary insurance at the work site in the United States, today honored three heroes
who have left a giant footprint in the fight against childhood
cancer. At the same time, the company celebrated a major milestone,
exceeding the $100 million mark in
contributions to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta,
a nationally renowned children's cancer facility.
The three honorees, nationally recognized comedian, author and
television personality, Jeff
Foxworthy, Ansley Riedel, a
nurse at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta who was treated at the Aflac Cancer
Center as a child and Ansley's mother Vicki
Riedel who successfully petitioned Aflac to sponsor the
Aflac Cancer Center in 1995, saw their footprints added to the
Duckprints Wall of Fame at the Aflac Cancer Center. The event was
hosted by national television sports commentator Ernie Johnson, Jr., himself a cancer
survivor.
"It is an absolute fact that all the Aflac Cancer Center has
become, and all it has come to mean to our Aflac family, the
families we treat and its position as a national leader in the
fight against childhood cancer, began with one tiny footprint –
that of a 10-month-old baby girl diagnosed with an aggressive form
of adult leukemia," Aflac Foundation President Kathelen Amos said. "After Ansley's treatment,
the passion that drove her mother Vicki to work for more resources,
more hope and more cures led her to Aflac's door, creating a
partnership that began in 1995 that we celebrate today."
Mrs. Amos continued, "The vision and leadership of Dr.
Bill Woods and the enthusiastic
financial support of so many people, including public figures with
caring hearts, like Jeff Foxworthy,
have raised awareness and have continued to move the needle every
day toward better outcomes, better care and better science. As we
celebrate multiple milestones today, that of 20 years and raising
$100 million, there are no finer
people to honor than these three, who continue to play an important
part in the amazing story of the Aflac Cancer
Center."
According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival
rate for childhood cancer today exceeds 80 percent compared to less
than 60 percent in the mid-1970s. And while cancer remains the most
prevalent cause of death by disease for children, only a small
percentage of government cancer funding goes toward childhood
cancer.
"Our employees and agents across the nation understand the need
to remain vigilant against childhood cancer, which is why in the
past 20 years the Aflac Cancer Center has become a big part of who
we are as a company," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "The entire Aflac team embraces
our mission to eradicate childhood cancer. There is more work to be
done, but each and every day we inch closer to defeating this
disease once and for all."
"It would be hard to imagine where we would be without the
support of our Aflac family and people like the heroes we celebrate
today," said Aflac Cancer Center Director Emeritus and 2013
Duckprints Awardee William G. Woods, M.D. "Our goal is to someday
see each of our children celebrate happy lives with families of
their own. We are getting there, and with continued dedication like
what we are celebrating today, I am confident that the day will
come when we will claim victory."
Each month, Aflac's independent sales associates contribute from
their commission checks to the Aflac Cancer Center. Due in large
part to this steady stream of research and treatment-related
funding by Aflac agents, the center is currently recognized by U.S.
News and World Report among the top 10 of pediatric cancer programs
in America.
"You don't have to be smarter than a fifth-grader to understand
why we need to put an end to childhood cancer," Foxworthy said.
"You just have to come to a place like the Aflac Cancer Center and
see for yourself the true meaning of courage. I am humbled by this
award and by the opportunity to stand with people like Ansley and
Vicki, who have paid it forward by dedicating their lives to
helping others."
In addition to conducting Duckprints celebrations across the
nation, Aflac is calling on unsung heroes across America to become
active in the cause. The company is donating $2 for any Duckprints-related social actions
taken on social media, including:
Twitter - $2 for any tweet
using the hashtag #Duckprints or for retweets of Duckprints-related
tweets.
Facebook - $2 for any share of
specific posts related to Duckprints or using #Duckprints.
YouTube - $2 per view of the Duckprints videos on
YouTube.
Instagram - $2 for every post
using the hashtag #Duckprints.
Aflac also created a website (aflacduckprints.com) that enables
users to nominate unsung heroes in their community who have made a
difference in the lives of children and families facing
cancer. People can follow the Aflac Duck on his journey to
hospitals around the country honoring those who have made a
difference in the fight against childhood cancer. In addition,
merchandise such as plush Aflac ducks and Duckprints-related
T-shirts, slippers and other items will be available for purchase
at aflacduckprints.com, with all of the net proceeds going toward
the treatment and research of childhood cancer.
About Duckprints Award recipient Jeff
Foxworthy
Jeff
Foxworthy is one of the most respected and successful
comedians in the country. He is the largest-selling
comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee
and best-selling author of more than 26 books. In 2014, he was
inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Widely known for his
redneck jokes, Foxworthy goes well beyond that in his act,
exploring the humor in everyday family interactions and human
nature, a style that has been compared to Mark
Twain's.
Foxworthy will once again be hosting the Fox television game
show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" when the show makes its
return to prime time in 2015. In addition, Jeff has his own comedy
channel "Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup" on SiriusXM. The channel
is a partnership with SiriusXM and Larry The Cable Guy. It will
showcase the best in great American comedy. You'll hear hilarious
material from this dynamic duo as well as comedy from comedians who
are some of their personal favorites.
Foxworthy has dedicated his time and services to the fight
against childhood cancer. He has done extensive voiceover work with
CURE Childhood Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
conquering childhood cancer through funding targeted research and
through support of patients and their families, and with Camp
Sunshine, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enrich the
lives of Georgia's children with
cancer and their families through year-round recreational,
educational and support programs. He is closely involved with the
Duke University Children's Hospital in
Durham, which specializes in treating children with cancer, helping
the hospital in raising funds for cancer treatment.
Foxworthy is also a New York Times
best-selling children's book author and entrepreneur, having
created his own company, Foxworthy Outdoors, which has a line of
products related to outdoor living.
About Aflac Duckprints Award recipients Ansley and Vicki Riedel
In 1988, at just
10 months old, Atlanta native
Ansley Riedel, now 27, was diagnosed
with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – a cancer of the blood and bone
marrow. She immediately began radiation and chemotherapy,
undergoing treatment until she was a little older than 3-and-a-half
years old. Then, after receiving a second bone marrow transplant
from her then 4-month-old baby brother in July 1991, Riedel reached the goal that every
cancer patient hopes to achieve: remission.
Today, Ansley is an accomplished musician, equestrian and a
registered nurse at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston on the Aflac Cancer and
Blood Disorders Center floor.
After witnessing her daughter's battle to defeat children's
cancer, Vicki Riedel, who had left
her position as a fundraiser at the Atlanta Symphony to help raise
money at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, approached Aflac in the spring of
1995 seeking a donation of $25,000 to
help make some upgrades to the floor where children were being
treated for cancer. In exchange, Aflac was offered the rights to
affix its name on one of the rooms at the hospital. Aflac Chief
Executive Officer Dan Amos responded
by offering $3 million and renaming
the center as the Aflac Cancer Center, which today is ranked as a
top-10 children's cancer facility in the nation. Since 1995, Aflac
has contributed more than $100
million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.
About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt,
Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For nearly six decades, Aflac
insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to
focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leading
provider of voluntary insurance at the work site. Through its
trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, Aflac U.S. can
receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims
in one business day. In Japan,
Aflac is a leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and
insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac individual and group insurance
products help provide protection to more than 50 million people
worldwide. For nine consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by
Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies.
In 2015, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best
Companies to Work For in America for the 17th consecutive year.
Also, in 2015, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most
Admired Companies for the 14th time, ranking the company No. 1 in
innovation for the insurance, life and health category. Aflac
Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One
Day PaySM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.
Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of
Columbus and American Family Life
Assurance Company of New York.
Media contacts – Jon Sullivan,
706.763.4813 or jsullivan@aflac.com
Analyst and investor contact – Robin Y.
Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330, or
rwilkey@aflac.com
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SOURCE Aflac