Sprint Cup - Aflac and Carl Edwards Unveil Racecar for Childhood Cancer Awareness

COLUMBUS, September 2, 2011: Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, and Carl Edwards, NASCAR driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion, are teaming up to support this year’s National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, recognized annually in September. Today Edwards visited with young cancer patients and their families at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. As part of the company’s “Friends of a Feather” campaign, Edwards also unveiled the specially painted car he will drive during Sunday’s race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The racecar design for Sunday’s race features duck feathers from front to back inscribed with names of the many unsung heroes who have gone the extra mile for 12-year-old Aflac Cancer Center patient Hannah Layfield. Hannah, like so many children facing cancer, has an army of devoted people who have stood by her and her family during her multiple bouts with leukemia. Throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Aflac strives to recognize the many people who come together to support children and families battling cancer as part of the “Friends of a Feather” campaign.

“Driving for Aflac is always special, but racing for kids like Hannah and the many people at the Aflac Cancer Center who support her takes it to another level,” Carl Edwards said. “When I visit the Aflac Cancer Center, it reminds me that courage isn’t about driving a racecar — it’s about brave young kids staring down cancer and determined to win. I’d love to win in their honor on Sunday night.”

Also commenting on the initiative, Kathelen Amos, president of the Aflac Foundation, said, “For more than 16 years, Aflac has made childhood cancer its primary philanthropic cause. I am proud to be a part of the ‘Friends of a Feather’ initiative and part of a company that brings together the emotional and medical support networks for families with children battling cancer.”