Former Atlanta Braves Star Tim Hudson and Wife, Kim Hudson, and Childhood Cancer Advocate Shelton Stevens Honored at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center

ATLANTA, Oct. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the U.S. and longtime champion of childhood cancer, today honored former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson and his wife, Kim Hudson, as well as childhood cancer advocate Shelton Stevens. Each received Aflac's Duckprints Award for their significant contributions in the lives of those touched by childhood cancer. All three honorees have had a long-term impact on the community and the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, including raising money for clinical care and research. The event was hosted at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center with legendary national sportscaster Ernie Johnson Jr. serving as master of ceremonies.

Duckprints awards are part of the Aflac Childhood Cancer Campaign, designed to engage Aflac employees, agents, and the public to increase awareness, promote volunteerism and honor childhood cancer champions through a variety of initiatives. This is the fifth year that Aflac has presented Duckprints Awards in Atlanta, with past recipients including actor/comedian Jeff Foxworthy, Atlanta Braves star Tom Glavine and his wife, Chris, CURE Childhood Cancer, Camp Sunshine, John Smoltz and of course, the Aflac Duck.

"The Hudsons and Shelton have given so much of their time and energy to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and to the community in general," said Kathelen Amos, president of The Aflac Foundation. "Their passion for and devotion to community has remained a priority in spite of the demands of incredible schedules and obligations. For that and for their tireless work to help families facing cancer, on behalf of the entire Aflac team, we are thrilled to honor them with our 2017 Duckprints award."

"Whether on the ball field, in the courtroom or in the sporting goods industry, Tim and Kim Hudson and Shelton Stevens have always had what it takes to compete and win at the highest levels," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "But I am sure they would all agree that the greatest victory will be putting an end to childhood cancer. I am confident that because of people like them, that day will come, so we salute them today for being more than a great athlete, a great attorney and a great businessman, but also for being good and decent people."

Over the years, the Hudsons have used their celebrity status and their passion to collaborate with the Aflac Cancer Center for events that have raised more than $1.6 million for the Aflac Cancer Center, including those hosted during the Atlanta Braves spring training, celebrity golf tournaments, events involving the wives of Atlanta Braves players and the annual WSB Care-A-Thon.

In the past 25 years, Shelton Stevens gave up his successful sporting goods business to create and direct the Children's Sports Network, where he has been part of more than $40 million in sports-related fundraising, including more than $10 million for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

"Thanks to people like Shelton, Kim and Tim Hudson, and partners at Aflac, the Aflac Cancer Center remains a national leader and a treasure to our community when it comes to helping children and developing protocols that improve the way we treat childhood cancer and blood disorders like sickle cell disease," said Douglas K. Graham, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and chief of hematology/oncology/BMT in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University. "We are getting better at treating childhood cancers every day and cannot understate the value of people like today's honorees for their generous contributions of time and resources. They deserve this recognition, and we are pleased to celebrate with them."

While cancer remains the most prevalent cause of death by disease for children, all pediatric cancers combined receive approximately 4 percent of federal funding for cancer research, according to the National Cancer Institute. That is why Aflac has contributed more than $119 million to this cause since 1995. In fact, each month, more than 17,000 of Aflac's agents contribute approximately $500,000 from their commission checks to the Aflac Cancer Center, which is rated among the top pediatric cancer hospitals in America by U.S. News and World Report.

As part of Aflac's new Aflac Childhood Cancer Campaign, Aflac is calling on people across America to become active in the cause. Each year Aflac donates $2 to children's cancer programs for each Duckprints-related social media activity on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram, up to a $1.5 million maximum. Related social actions include:

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 a new plush Aflac duck, T-shirts, sippy cups and more are available for purchase at AflacChildhoodCancer.org, with all of the net proceeds going toward the treatment and research of childhood cancer. 

About Duckprints honorees Tim and Kim Hudson
Tim Hudson enjoyed an 18-year career in Major League Baseball, including nine years with the Atlanta Braves. Over that span, Tim amassed 222 victories and was named to the Major League All-Star Game four times. Tim won the World Series while a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2014 and was named the National League's Comeback Player of the Year in 2010, winning 17 games for the Braves after returning from a lengthy injury. Tim struck out 2,080 batters in his career and is one of only 18 pitchers in history to record a win against every major league team.

Kim Hudson graduated from Auburn University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and criminology. She then attended Cumberland School of Law, graduating in 2000. She passed the Alabama Bar and practiced law in Auburn from 2000-2003 and happily rejoined the firm in 2010.

Kim and Tim Hudson co-founded the Hudson Family Foundation, a charity that serves children and families in need in Alabama and Georgia. Kim has served on the board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama and works tirelessly to help raise funds for the Aflac Cancer Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Kim strongly supports several additional children's charities and works hard to further their efforts. Some of these organizations include the Atlanta Braves Foundation, CURE Childhood Cancer and aTeam Ministries.

Kim and Tim met while they were students at Auburn. They have been married since 1999. They have two daughters, Kennedie and Tess, and one son, Kade. Kim enjoys her law practice, spending time with Tim and their children, doing philanthropic work and reading.

About Duckprints honoree Shelton Stevens
Nearly 25 years ago, Shelton Stevens left the sporting goods industry and went to work for the Scottish Rite Festival. A few years later, the merger of Egleston and Scottish Rite brought him into the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta family. Since then, Shelton created and has led the Children's Sports Network, where he has been part of more than $40 million in sports-related fundraising, with more than $10 million benefiting the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. 

From early events such as the Kuppenheimer Classic Basketball Tournament, the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Football Game, the Strong Legs Run, and the Georgia/Georgia Tech Governor's Cup to current events such as the Spring Baseball Classic, the John Smoltz Atlanta Braves Celebrity-Am and Matt Ryan's Dinner for Two with No. 2, as well as building events initiated by Kim and Tim Hudson, such as Birdies and Baseball and Huddy's Buddies, Shelton has put his creative signature on innumerable sporting activities, partnerships and relationships which have raised critical funds.

About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite. Through its trailblazing One Day Pay^SM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance, and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 11 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2017, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 19th consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 16th time. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were recognized by J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. 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 Pay^SM, 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 jsullivan@aflac.com

Aflac analyst and investor contact – David A. Young, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX 706.324.6330, or dyoung@aflac.com

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