A Texas-Sized Celebration for Heroes Fighting Childhood Cancer
Aflac Joins Cook Children's Medical Center in Honoring Champions of a Great Cause
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance in the United States, today presented its 2015 Duckprints Awards to local heroes from Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, including Amp1 Basketball founder and childhood cancer survivor Scott Odom; local disc jockey, author and philanthropist Mark "Hawkeye" Louis; and Teresa Clark, RN, chief nursing officer, with a specialty certification in hematology/oncology at Cook Children's Medical Center. The day was hosted by Grant Harris, vice president of Cook Children's Health Foundation.
The event, held at the Cook Children's Cancer Center in Fort Worth, was part of Aflac's Duckprints Award Program. Duckprints is Aflac's way of honoring people who have left their footprints in the fight against childhood cancer. Since 2013, the company has traveled across the nation, with stops in Houston, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; Sacramento, California; New York; Atlanta, Georgia; and now Fort Worth, celebrating heroes who are committed to this cause. Aflac and Cook Children's Medical Center today unveiled its Duckprints wall at the hospital to honor these local champions.
"Because of the research happening at places like Cook Children's Medical Center, the work conducted over the last 50 years has produced a remarkable change in the five-year childhood cancer survival rate - leaping from 20 percent to 80 percent," said Kathelen Amos, president of the Aflac Foundation. "As Aflac's primary mission is to assist families when they need it most, we are pleased to honor the special heroes of Texas who work hard to help more families enjoy special times with healthier, more vibrant children."
"We are honored to recognize and celebrate these three incredible individuals. Cook Children's is a better place because of our partnership with Teresa, Scott and 'Hawkeye,'" Grant Harris, vice president of Cook Children's Health Foundation said. "Our Duckprints wall will be a constant reminder to our patients and their families that they are not alone in their fight against cancer."
Last year, Aflac, which makes children's cancer its primary philanthropic cause, announced its goal of exceeding the $100-million mark for contributions to childhood cancer by the end of 2015. Since 1995, the company has raised and contributed $97 million, including monthly contributions of more than $500,000 from the company's independent sales agents. As part of the Duckprints campaign, Aflac is calling individuals across America to become active in the cause. People can get involved by taking to social media to talk about childhood cancer. Aflac will donate $2 to the fight against children's cancer for any Duckprints-related actions taken on various social media, up to $2 million. Related social media actions include:
- Twitter - $2 for tweets using the hashtag #duckprints or 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.
To support the Aflac Duckprints initiative, Aflac also created a website called 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. 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 also going to this cause.
About Duckprints Award recipient Scott Odom
Scott Odom was born in Fort Worth, Texas. As a young boy, he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. At the age of 14, his life forever changed when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Months later, he made the difficult decision to amputate his right leg above the knee to return to an active lifestyle and to save his life. Scott went through months and months of rehab to relearn how to walk and use his prosthesis. When he went back to high school, he was unable to return to playing high school baseball as a pitcher. After high school, the reality that he would not be able to play college sports set in, and he felt lost.
After many years of trying to get a sports program for others with similar experiences off the ground, he posted a video on YouTube of himself playing basketball in his parent's backyard. Soon, another amputee found the video and contacted Scott. Together they co-founded Amp1 Basketball.
Through Amp1, Scott has been able to travel the country hosting charity games benefiting different causes, as well as speaking at numerous school assemblies all over the country. Scott also attended a children's cancer camp through Cook Children's when he was 15 as a camper. Since then, he has returned to the camp as a camp counselor. He has been volunteering his time at Camp Sanguinity for 16 years. Along with the work he does with Amp1 to help amputees and Camp Sanguinity, helping children with cancer, Scott also mentors kids undergoing cancer treatments and surgeries. Scott's main focus in life is to give back and support others, especially kids. Through all these efforts of giving back, Scott has been awarded CBS 11's Texan with Character, Fox 4's Hometown Hero, and named a Community Hero. He was a special guest on the TV show "Red Band Society," and became the first above-the-knee amputee to play in a professional basketball game.
About Duckprints Award recipient Mark "Hawkeye" Louis
Radio listeners in Dallas/Fort Worth may know Mark Louis Rybczyk, better known as "Hawkeye," the longtime morning host on heritage country station 96.3 FM KSCS. An award-winning disc jockey, Mark, along with his former partner Terry Dorsey, had the longest-running morning show in Dallas. An avid skier, windsurfer and traveler, Mark is also the host of "Travel with Hawkeye," a radio and television adventure feature that airs across the country.
"Hawkeye" first became involved with Cook Children's when he came to Camp Sanguinity as a counselor in 2002. He continued serving as a counselor for three more years until 2006 and then came back to camp in 2014. "Hawkeye" always had the oldest boys' cabin and did a tremendous job of making his teen campers feel comfortable, as well as helping them get into the groove of camp. He was laid back, added laughter to any situation and overall made the camp experience a fun one for his campers. "Hawkeye" also served on the Friends of Camp Sanguinity Board of Directors from 2004-2006.
In 2014, New Country 96.3 KSCS partnered with Cook Children's for an inaugural radio fundraising initiative. KSCS broadcasted live from Cook Children's, asking loyal listeners for generous donations to help families and children affected by illness, disease and injury. The Radiothon consists of heart-warming stories told by children and their families, miracle moments of happy endings, great KSCS DJ banter, local company involvement and compelling interviews – all in support of a great cause: the patients at Cook Children's. A resident of Fort Worth for more than two decades, "Hawkeye" is committed to Cook Children's and laying the foundation for this event to prosper.
About Duckprints Award recipient Teresa Clark, RN
Before coming to Cook Children's, Teresa Clark served 10 years as a registered nurse with a specialty certification in hematology/oncology at Irving Community Hospital, Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Research Center and Medical Plaza Hospital in Fort Worth.
In 1991, she joined the hematology/oncology staff of Cook Children's stem cell transplant unit where her focus changed from adult care to pediatrics. By 1993, as director of the Cook Children's Cancer Center, she became an integral part of the growth and expansion of that area, providing leadership and supervision for all inpatient and outpatient care within the hematology/oncology program. At the same time, Teresa was continuing her own education, receiving a Master of Science in healthcare administration from UTA. In the years following, she would become the assistant vice president of nursing, vice president of nursing, and in January of 2014, chief nursing officer.
Teresa is on the Board of Trustees for Community Hospice of Texas and has been very involved in the development and ongoing support of the Cook Children's AYA (Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer) program. She is a preceptor for administrative residents at Cook Children's Medical Center as well as for Regis University, Texas Christian University and The University of Texas at Arlington masters-level nursing and health care administration programs. She is also involved with mentoring activities for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
She was a guest presenter at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses where she shared the findings of an evidence-based practice project in pediatric stem cell transplant. She is a member of several local, state and national nursing and nursing executives organizations.
Teresa is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Texas Tech University and expects to complete that program in May 2015. A native Texan, she resides in Weatherford with her husband, Bob. They have three children. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1981 from The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).
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.
About Cook Children's Medical Center
Cook Children's Health Care System is a not-for-profit, nationally recognized pediatric health care organization comprised of eight entities – a Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services Inc. and Health Foundation. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the integrated system has more than 60 primary and specialty care offices throughout North Texas. Its service region includes Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties, with an additional referral area encompassing nearly half the state. Cook Children's traces its roots back to 1918, but throughout its continual change and robust growth, it still embraces an inspiring Promise – to improve the health of every child in its region through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury. To live up to this Promise, Cook Children's combines the art of caring with the use of leading technology and extraordinary collaboration to provide exceptional care for every child, every day. For more information, please visit www.cookchildrens.org.
Media contacts – Aflac: Jon Sullivan, 706.763.4813 or [email protected]
Cook Children's: Missy Staben 682-885-2378 or [email protected]
Analyst and investor contact – Robin Y. Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330, or [email protected].
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SOURCE Aflac
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