ATLANTA, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the
leading provider of voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in
the U.S. and a committed corporate ally in the fight against
childhood cancer, honored two Atlanta heroes with Duckprints Awards for
their significant contributions in the battle against childhood
cancer.
"The Aflac Cancer Center and its fight on behalf of children
with cancer and their families has been a source of great pride,
motivation and inspiration for the broad Aflac family for over 20
years," Aflac Foundation President Kathelen
Amos said. "Each Duckprint honoree has made a unique
contribution, and leaves their own indelible legacies in this
ongoing effort, and this shared struggle has forged a bond among us
all."
Aflac's Duckprints award recipients — WSB's Atlanta Morning News
host Scott Slade, who started the
WSB Radio Care-a-Thon for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders
Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in 2000 and raised
millions of dollars to help eradicate childhood cancer, and Dr.
Dorothy Jordan, an advanced practice
nurse and founder of Camp Sunshine, a nonprofit organization
offering year-round recreational, educational and supportive
programming for children with cancer and their families in
Georgia since 1983 — saw their
footprints added to the Duckprints Wall of Fame during a ceremony
at the Aflac Cancer Center, the nationally renowned children's
cancer facility.
"Thanks to the support of our partners at Aflac, WSB Radio and
Camp Sunshine, the Aflac Cancer Center has the resources to provide
high-quality care for our patients and dedicated research to find a
cure for childhood cancer," said Douglas
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. "It's an honor to partner with Aflac in
recognizing these individuals who have done so much to ensure our
patients get the support and treatment they need."
Attendees also heard the story of Ellanor Young, a brave girl diagnosed with
leukemia at only 4 years old who is now in remission, and how her
fight inspired the high school lacrosse team her father, Patrick,
coaches to form the nonprofit Lax for Leukemia Inc., which donates
to Aflac Cancer Center needs.
While cancer remains the most prevalent cause of death by
disease for children, all pediatric cancers combined receive less
than 4 percent of federal funding for cancer research, according to
the Children's Cancer Fund. That's why Aflac has contributed more
than $108 million in the battle
against pediatric cancer for research and treatment. In fact, each
month more than 16,000 of Aflac's agents contribute from their
commission checks to the Aflac Cancer Center, which is rated among
the top-10 pediatric cancer hospitals in America by U.S. News and
World Report.
"It is Aflac's mission to eradicate childhood cancer, and each
member of the company embraces this mission and has for more than
20 years," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan
Amos said. "At Aflac, we believe in leaving our duckprints
on the world, and these duckprints represent our values of serving
others and giving back to our communities. It is just the right
thing to do."
As part of the grassroots Duckprints campaign that began in
2013, Aflac is calling on people across America to become active in
the cause. Aflac is donating $2 to
the fight against children's cancer 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 plush Aflac ducks and Duckprints-related
T-shirts, slippers and other items are 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 Scott Slade
Scott Slade is host of
Atlanta's Morning News,
consistently one of the top-rated radio programs in metro
Atlanta for over 25 years, and
among the top-rated news-talk programs in the USA. The show airs weekdays, 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., on News 95.5 FM and AM 750,
WSB.
Scott initiated the WSB Radio Care-a-Thon for the Aflac Cancer
Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in 2000, raising millions of dollars
to fight children's cancer and blood disorders.
Scott is a rare two-time winner of the National Association of
Broadcasters Marconi Award as Best Radio Personality in America in
both major and large markets. Atlanta's Morning News with Scott Slade has won numerous awards since its
inception in 1991, including the national Edward R. Murrow Award as Best Radio Newscast in
the nation.
Scott has been with WSB Radio since 1984 as a producer, show
host and helicopter traffic reporter. His career includes all
facets of media since 1970. He was won numerous news, programming
and advertising awards since his broadcasting career began at the
age of 15. In fact, his first award was an Associated Press award
in 1971 for "News Interpretation" for a weekly program where he and
other teenage journalists interviewed newsmakers on a local radio
station. He is an Atlanta
native.
He is a graduate of Georgia State
University, a commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and
enjoys hiking, playing jazz saxophone and, of course, flying, among
his hobbies. Scott has been the voice of the Great Georgia Airshow
for all but one year since its inception.
About Aflac Duckprints Award recipient Dorothy Jordan
Dorothy Jordan is an advanced
practice nurse in Georgia, and she
is board certified as a family psychiatric mental health nurse
practitioner and as a psychiatric mental health clinical nurse
specialist. Dr. Jordan graduated with a B.S. in nursing from
East Stroudsburg University in 1979, an
M.N. in child health from Emory
University in 1982, a post-masters certificate in
psychiatric mental health from Georgia State
University in 2008 and a doctor of nursing practice from
University of Tennessee Health Science
Center in 2014.
Dr. Jordan's clinical practice in pediatrics focused on children
with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. It was through her
work with children with cancer and their families that she had the
idea to provide pediatric oncology patients the normal
childhood experience of summer camp. Dorothy, with the help of
others in the pediatric oncology community, founded Camp Sunshine,
a nonprofit organization offering year-round recreational,
educational and supportive programming for children with cancer and
their families in Georgia since
1983.
Dorothy served as the first executive director of Camp Sunshine
and has served on the board since its inception. She continues to
volunteer at Camp Sunshine teen week and provides camper and staff
mental health support. Her recent clinical practice includes
psychiatry at the Marcus Autism Center, consult liaison psychiatry
at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and psychiatric mental health at
Community Advanced Practice Nurses. Dorothy is an assistant
clinical professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of
Nursing, Emory University. Her current
clinical interests include early mental health screening, mental
health promotion, early intervention, the universal prevention of
psychiatric mental health disorders and the integration of mental
health into primary care. Her research interests include the impact
of volunteering at a pediatric oncology camp on the pediatric
oncology nurse's practices. Dr. Jordan has a particular interest in
the access to psychiatric mental health care for children and
adolescents.
About Ellanor Young
At the end of July 2014,
Ellanor Young's family was
vacationing in Panama City Beach,
Florida, when Ellanor started complaining of severe pain
when she walked. Her parents, Patrick and
Kelly Young, also noticed that whenever she took several
steps, her face and lips would go pale. On the last day of the
vacation, Ellanor woke up feeling much worse.
Ellanor's parents took her to Children's Healthcare of
Atlanta at Scottish Rite because
Ellanor's blood counts were extremely low. Upon arriving at
Children's, her parents were told that their sweet 4-year-old
daughter had cancer, specifically leukemia.
Ellanor's father, Patrick, a high school lacrosse coach, knew it
would be hard to devote a lot of time to his team when Ellanor was
diagnosed and decided to skip a season. But when the players heard
the news, they wouldn't have it. Instead, he continued to coach,
and the team formed the nonprofit Lax for Leukemia Inc. as a way
for the team to give back and help other families battling
childhood cancer. Funds raised by Lax for Leukemia Inc. support
research and programs at the Aflac Cancer Center.
Ellanor was declared in remission after the first month of
treatment.
"We will be forever grateful for the Aflac Cancer Center and for
the many nurses, doctors and cancer families we have met along the
way," Kelly Young said. "They have
all made this experience bearable."
About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits
fast. For 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
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
individual and group insurance products help provide protection to
more than 50 million people worldwide. For 10 consecutive years,
Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most
Ethical Companies. In 2016, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as
one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 18th
consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired
Companies for the 15th time, ranking the company No. 1 in
innovation for the insurance, life and health category for the
second consecutive year. 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
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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