On Sept. 5, 200 people stepped onto the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium carrying a much bigger story. Each represented $1 million, and more than three decades of support for children and families facing cancer and blood disorders.
Aflac announced on Sept. 9 that it had surpassed $200 million in contributions to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, marking a major milestone in a partnership that began in 1995. Four days earlier, the company celebrated the achievement during the Aflac Kickoff Game between Auburn and Baylor, recognizing 200 current and former patients, family members and care team members through its “Kickoff for a Cause” initiative.
The milestone came during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month, putting a spotlight not only on the money raised but also on the children and families behind it.
“Aflac’s more than three-decade relationship with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center has resulted in many incredible achievements, including the center’s evolution into one of the nation’s most advanced childhood cancer and sickle cell centers in America,” Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said.
A significant portion of that support has come directly from people within the company. Aflac employees and independent sales agents have contributed more than $131 million from their commission checks over the years.
For Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, those dollars translate into care on a much more personal scale.
The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center cares for more than 500 new cancer patients annually, along with more than 5,000 children with sickle cell disease, hemophilia and other blood disorders.
“The impact of the $200 million milestone for Aflac cannot be overstated for the children and families at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center,” said Dr. Shari Barkin, pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University.
The Sept. 5 game turned that decades-long history of giving into something visible.
Four current and former patients, Aiden Ramsay, Callie Cramer, Nico Leonardo and Mateo Hataway, served as honorary captains alongside college football legends Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III.
Auburn welcomed patients and their families to campus for a behind-the-scenes experience, including a facilities tour and opportunities to meet players and coaches. Baylor invited Ramsay, who is living with sickle cell disease, to join him in the team’s pregame walk to the stadium.
The company’s support also extends beyond the football field.
My Special Aflac Duck, a robotic companion designed to help children facing cancer and sickle cell disease communicate, understand treatment through medical play and find comfort and distraction, has been provided free of charge to nearly 50,000 children since 2018.
Aflac also awarded 12 grants to Child Life programs across the country in September. The programs help children and their families cope with the emotional, developmental and psychological challenges that can accompany cancer treatment and hospitalization. Since 2019, 95 grants totaling $176,500 have been awarded.
For Aflac, surpassing $200 million marks more than three decades of giving. For the families who have passed through the Atlanta center, however, its impact is measured differently: in research, treatment, moments of comfort and opportunities for children to keep learning, playing and simply being children.
And when 200 patients, relatives and caregivers stood together on the field in Atlanta on Sept. 5, the number behind them told one story. The people standing there told the more important one.
