Comedian Jeff Foxworthy, Ansley and Vicki Riedel Honored for Fighting Childhood Cancer
Aflac Praises Heroic Trio While Celebrating $100 Million in Contributions to the Aflac Cancer Center
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 [email protected]
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SOURCE Aflac
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