WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, a
committed corporate ally to families facing childhood cancer, and
Chispa House, a purpose-driven film and content production company
dedicated to honoring the spark in everyday people, will debut a
35-minute documentary film, "Moments of Joy," Sept. 25 during The Atlantic Festival in
Washington, D.C. The documentary
spotlights the emotional challenges and inspirational stories of
children facing cancer, as well as the impact on families, health
care providers and others who support them.
The film premieres during National Childhood Cancer Awareness
Month, a moment when Aflac is also celebrating its multi-decade
commitment to supporting families throughout their cancer journeys.
Among several topics, the film touches upon My Special Aflac
Duck®, a robotic friend for children with cancer
developed by Sproutel that has received numerous accolades,
including Best in Show at CES in 2018, the People's Choice Award at
SXSW and being named one of Time Magazine's 2018 50 Best
Inventions.
"'Moments of Joy' brilliantly captures the emotions families
face when a child is diagnosed with cancer, as well as Aflac's
24-year commitment to this cause, by telling the story of how My
Special Aflac Duck helps provide comfort to children as they
cope with cancer treatments," The Aflac Foundation, Inc. President
Kathelen Amos said. "But we know
that cancer is too big for any one company or organization to
address alone. Our hope is that 'Moments of Joy' inspires more
people and companies to join Aflac in supporting the thousands of
courageous children diagnosed with cancer each year in
America."
"We are extremely proud of how this film shines a bright light
on the young children and their families who, at no fault of their
own, are thrust into the incredible challenges that childhood
cancer presents," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "'Moments of Joy' focuses on the
inspiring stories of children and families who face cancer every
day, and we believe it will ignite critical conversations across
the country, raising the level of awareness about childhood
cancer."
Inspired by the innovative way My Special Aflac Duck was
sparking joy for young cancer patients, the producers at Chispa
House created this film as a passion project in hopes of telling an
inspiring story about childhood cancer, which impacts more than
15,000 children each year in the United
States. The film follows eight children and their parents
through different stages of their cancer journey. Through intimate
interviews, they share the heartbreak, fear, determination, hope
and joy they experience each day.
"We approached this project with the intent to honor the journey
of these children and families with compassionate storytelling and
give a behind-the-scenes peek into the purpose-driven core values
that drive Aflac's relationship with its customers," Chispa House
President Andrew Levy said. "To our
amazement, we found not only a brand driven by deeper connection
with the people they serve, but optimistic families and caregivers
committed to giving an intimate view of this real-life struggle.
'Moments of Joy' perfectly reflects who we are and what we do —
telling human-interest stories that ultimately create tangible
connectivity among us all."
Motivated by overcoming the tragedy of losing one of its
founding partners, Chispa House seeks to tell empathy-driven
stories about which they are passionate. When they learned about
My Special Aflac Duck in 2018, they approached Aflac in
hopes of shining a spotlight on the immense bravery and
perseverance of children and families facing cancer across
America.
To date, Aflac has distributed more than 5,000 robotic ducks to
children in participating hospitals in 48 states. Aflac will
continue to expand its My Special Aflac Duck campaign to
hospitals across the country, providing a My Special Aflac
Duck to any child diagnosed with cancer in the U.S., above the
age of 3, free of charge. Hospital professionals can learn more and
register to order ducks for children at their facilities at
AflacChildhoodCancer.org/MyDuck.
"In the United States, of all
the federal funds earmarked for cancer research and treatment, only
4% is assigned to childhood cancer, leaving a tremendous void in
this extremely important societal issue," Aflac Senior Vice President, Chief
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Communications Officer
Catherine Hernandez-Blades said.
"Companies and their leadership should take a stand and become part
of the solution to problems that affect our communities. My
Special Aflac Duck is helping children cope with cancer in ways
that we could not have imagined nearly 20 years ago when the Aflac
Duck was first introduced to America. 'Moments of Joy' captures the
trials and triumphs that these families face, and we are proud that
My Special Aflac Duck is playing such an important role in
this film and in the lives of children with cancer."
"Moments of Joy" will premiere to leading advocacy experts,
thought leaders and journalists Wednesday,
Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. ET during
the second day of The Atlantic Festival. Following the premiere,
the creators, two cancer survivors featured in the film, and a
child life professional will discuss the development of the
documentary and the impact they hope it will have on the childhood
cancer community.
To watch "Moments of Joy," visit Aflac.com/Joy.
About Aflac Incorporated
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is a Fortune 500 company helping
provide protection to more than 50 million people through its
subsidiaries in Japan and the
U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer, by paying cash
fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six
decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries
have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not
financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading
provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan, where it insures 1 in 4 households.
Through its trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative in
the United States, for eligible
claims, Aflac can process, approve and electronically send funds to
claimants for quick access to cash in just one business day. For 13
consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one
of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2018, Fortune magazine
recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in
America for the 20th consecutive year, and in 2019, Fortune
included Aflac on its list of World's Most Admired Companies for
the 18th time. To find out more about One Day PaySM and
learn how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover,
get to know us at aflac.com.
Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of
Columbus and American Family Life
Assurance Company of New York.
WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus,
GA 31999.
About Chispa House
Chispa (pronounced Cheese-Spa)
House is a full-service film and content production company leading
the way to connect brands and their customers through
purpose-driven storytelling. Chispa House specializes in
identifying your Chispa (the Spanish term for "spark") and bringing
it to life through intentional, cinematic storytelling to command
consumer attention, change behavior and build energetic brand
communities. Since 2013, Chispa partners around the world have
launched inspirational and humanity-focused content achieving over
50 million (and counting) cross-platform views. To find your
brand's Chispa, please visit www.chispahouse.com.
Media contact – Kristen
Fraser, 706.580.3813 or kfraser@aflac.com
Analyst and investor contact – David
A. Young, 706.596.3264, 800.235.2667 or dyoung@aflac.com
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SOURCE Aflac