#duckprints

Giving Back

In 1995, an Aflac agent was approached by a mother of a child fighting cancer and asked for a donation of $25,000 to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  Aflac CEO Dan Amos did donate, but instead gave $3 Million and the center was renamed the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Since then, the company has shown that this giving spirit and fight against pediatric cancer is important to everyone at every level.

They have raised and donated over $100 Million to the center, which is recognized as one of the largest children’s cancer centers in the US. It is a national leader in hematology, childhood cancer, blood and bone marrow transplant programs and serves infants through young adults and has cared for more than 2,300 children with cancer and 4,200 children with blood disorders annually.  Aflac’s spirit of giving isn’t just at the corporate level; it reaches all levels of the organization. Much of the funds donated come from independent Aflac insurance agents who contribute from their monthly commission checks.  Additionally, all employees are given the opportunity to regularly contribute with payroll deductions.

Less than 4% of federal funding is earmarked for pediatric cancer – and that just isn’t enough. Aflac created a donation program where cash gifts are welcomed and accepted, but also, a mere mention on social media will garner a donation to the cause.

 Ringing the Bell to Fight Cancer

Children fight each and every day through tough, lifesaving treatments at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  When a child completes their treatment, it’s cause for celebration.  Aflac has a tradition, the child who finished treatment gets to ring the “End of Treatment” bell.  Doctors, nurses and medical staff line the hall while a child rings the bell along with his or her family, to signify the closing of a difficult chapter and to celebrate that they beat cancer.

 Aflac Duckprints

Aflac has a national grassroots organization called “Aflac Duckprints” with the primary goal of raising awareness and donations by honoring those who have left their footprints in the fight against childhood cancer.

Aflac is working hard not just to protect patients with quality healthcare and comprehensive insurance, but they are active participants in the fight against cancer.  Together, we can all fight to cure children’s cancer.

Rob Cavaleri is a Special Projects Coordinator with Aflac, a supplemental and voluntary benefits program.  Contact him at [email protected] or 703-328-1561   Follow him on social media at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-cavaleri-50b6b and  https://www.facebook.com/AflacCavaleri