ATLANTA, Oct. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the
leading provider of voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in
the U.S. and longtime champion of childhood cancer, today honored
former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim
Hudson and his wife, Kim
Hudson, as well as childhood cancer advocate Shelton Stevens. Each received Aflac's
Duckprints Award for their significant contributions in the lives
of those touched by childhood cancer. All three honorees have had a
long-term impact on the community and the Aflac Cancer and Blood
Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, including raising money for clinical
care and research. The event was hosted at the Aflac Cancer and
Blood Disorders Center with legendary national sportscaster
Ernie Johnson Jr. serving as master
of ceremonies.
Duckprints awards are part of the Aflac Childhood Cancer
Campaign, designed to engage Aflac employees, agents, and the
public to increase awareness, promote volunteerism and honor
childhood cancer champions through a variety of initiatives. This
is the fifth year that Aflac has presented Duckprints Awards in
Atlanta, with past recipients
including actor/comedian Jeff
Foxworthy, Atlanta Braves star Tom
Glavine and his wife, Chris, CURE Childhood Cancer, Camp
Sunshine, John Smoltz and of course,
the Aflac Duck.
"The Hudsons and Shelton have given so much of their time and
energy to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and to the
community in general," said Kathelen
Amos, president of The Aflac Foundation. "Their passion for
and devotion to community has remained a priority in spite of the
demands of incredible schedules and obligations. For that and for
their tireless work to help families facing cancer, on behalf of
the entire Aflac team, we are thrilled to honor them with our 2017
Duckprints award."
"Whether on the ball field, in the courtroom or in the sporting
goods industry, Tim and Kim Hudson
and Shelton Stevens have always had
what it takes to compete and win at the highest levels," Aflac
Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "But
I am sure they would all agree that the greatest victory will be
putting an end to childhood cancer. I am confident that because of
people like them, that day will come, so we salute them today for
being more than a great athlete, a great attorney and a great
businessman, but also for being good and decent people."
Over the years, the Hudsons have used their celebrity status and
their passion to collaborate with the Aflac Cancer Center for
events that have raised more than $1.6
million for the Aflac Cancer Center, including those hosted
during the Atlanta Braves spring training, celebrity golf
tournaments, events involving the wives of Atlanta Braves players
and the annual WSB Care-A-Thon.
In the past 25 years, Shelton
Stevens gave up his successful sporting goods business to
create and direct the Children's Sports Network, where he has been
part of more than $40 million in
sports-related fundraising, including more than $10 million for the Aflac Cancer and Blood
Disorders Center.
"Thanks to people like Shelton, Kim and
Tim Hudson, and partners at Aflac, the Aflac Cancer Center
remains a national leader and a treasure to our community when it
comes to helping children and developing protocols that improve the
way we treat childhood cancer and blood disorders like sickle cell
disease," said Douglas K. Graham,
M.D., Ph.D., director of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders
Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and chief of hematology/oncology/BMT
in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory
University. "We are getting better at treating childhood
cancers every day and cannot understate the value of people like
today's honorees for their generous contributions of time and
resources. They deserve this recognition, and we are pleased to
celebrate with them."
While cancer remains the most prevalent cause of death by
disease for children, all pediatric cancers combined receive
approximately 4 percent of federal funding for cancer research,
according to the National Cancer Institute. That is why Aflac has
contributed more than $119 million to
this cause since 1995. In fact, each month, more than 17,000 of
Aflac's agents contribute approximately $500,000 from their commission checks to the
Aflac Cancer Center, which is rated among the top pediatric cancer
hospitals in America by U.S. News and World Report.
As part of Aflac's new Aflac Childhood Cancer Campaign, Aflac is
calling on people across America to become active in the cause.
Each year Aflac donates $2 to
children's cancer programs for each Duckprints-related social media
activity on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram, up to a
$1.5 million maximum. Related social
actions include:
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 a new plush Aflac duck, T-shirts, sippy cups
and more are available for purchase at AflacChildhoodCancer.org,
with all of the net proceeds going toward the treatment and
research of childhood cancer.
About Duckprints honorees Tim and Kim
Hudson
Tim Hudson
enjoyed an 18-year career in Major League Baseball, including nine
years with the Atlanta Braves. Over that span, Tim amassed 222
victories and was named to the Major League All-Star Game four
times. Tim won the World Series while a member of the San Francisco
Giants in 2014 and was named the National League's Comeback Player
of the Year in 2010, winning 17 games for the Braves after
returning from a lengthy injury. Tim struck out 2,080 batters in
his career and is one of only 18 pitchers in history to record a
win against every major league team.
Kim Hudson graduated from
Auburn University in 1996 with a
Bachelor of Arts in psychology and criminology. She then attended
Cumberland School of Law, graduating in 2000. She passed the
Alabama Bar and practiced law in Auburn from 2000-2003 and happily rejoined the
firm in 2010.
Kim and Tim Hudson co-founded the
Hudson Family Foundation, a charity that serves children and
families in need in Alabama and
Georgia. Kim has served on the
board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama and works tirelessly to help raise
funds for the Aflac Cancer Center at Children's Healthcare of
Atlanta. Kim strongly supports
several additional children's charities and works hard to further
their efforts. Some of these organizations include the Atlanta
Braves Foundation, CURE Childhood Cancer and aTeam Ministries.
Kim and Tim met while they were students at Auburn. They have been married since 1999.
They have two daughters, Kennedie and Tess, and one son, Kade. Kim
enjoys her law practice, spending time with Tim and their children,
doing philanthropic work and reading.
About Duckprints honoree Shelton
Stevens
Nearly 25 years ago, Shelton Stevens left the sporting goods industry
and went to work for the Scottish Rite Festival. A few years
later, the merger of Egleston and Scottish Rite brought him into
the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta family. Since then, Shelton created
and has led the Children's Sports Network, where he has been part
of more than $40 million in
sports-related fundraising, with more than $10 million benefiting the Aflac Cancer and Blood
Disorders Center.
From early events such as the Kuppenheimer Classic Basketball
Tournament, the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Football Game,
the Strong Legs Run, and the Georgia/Georgia Tech Governor's Cup to current
events such as the Spring Baseball Classic, the John Smoltz Atlanta
Braves Celebrity-Am and Matt Ryan's
Dinner for Two with No. 2, as well as building events initiated by
Kim and Tim Hudson, such as Birdies
and Baseball and Huddy's Buddies, Shelton has put his creative
signature on innumerable sporting activities, partnerships and
relationships which have raised critical funds.
About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt,
Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than six decades, Aflac
insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to
focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leader in
voluntary insurance sales at the worksite. 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
the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance, and insures 1
in 4 households. Aflac insurance products help provide protection
to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 11 consecutive years,
Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most
Ethical Companies. In 2017, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as
one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 19th
consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired
Companies for the 16th time. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were
recognized by J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer
Service Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. 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
Aflac analyst and investor contact – David A. Young, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667,
FAX 706.324.6330, or dyoung@aflac.com
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