In a fitting capstone to the designation of September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Aflac has been honored with the goBeyondProfit Champion Award.

The peer-nominated goBeyondProfit Champion honor is given for Aflac’s consistency in benefiting its community and business with a generous and diverse company culture, while deploying company resources and priorities toward community empowerment. In one timely proof point of its generosity, since naming childhood cancer its primary philanthropic cause in 1995, Aflac and its independent sales agents have contributed more than $146 million to treatment and research for a cure.

“Aflac is a rare company that understood from day one that demonstrating positive citizenship was critical to earning the trust and loyalty of its customer community,” said goBeyondProfit founder Rick Jackson. “Their deeply engrained approach has resulted in support for countless children and families in the face of crisis and has contributed to positive reputation and global growth for the company.”

A profile of the company award provides constructive insights businesses can emulate. Culturally, each new Aflac employee receives The Aflac Way, a book of principles set out by the company founders more than half a century ago, emphasizing unbiased respect, care and honesty. Employees’ hands-on volunteerism and corporate contributions meld in its efforts to support childhood cancer research and treatment and its dedication to helping the families of those facing cancer and other diseases. Empowerment is inherent in its community outreach through youth mentorship and annual participation building Habitat for Humanity homes.

Aflac, an extremely diverse company, boasts a workforce composed of 66% women, nearly 40% African Americans and almost 50% minorities. The company’s board of directors is 64% diverse and high-level minority executives include the president of Aflac U.S. and the company’s general counsel, each of whom are African American women. 

In the backdrop of a global pandemic and a national discussion on social justice, at a virtual awards ceremony with Aflac leadership and goBeyondProfit Founding Ambassadors Sept. 29, Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos addressed Aflac’s philosophy on corporate responsibility.

“Giving back to the community in meaningful ways shows your employees, customers and investors that you value them. Today, as we face an unprecedented pandemic, corporations need to step up. It’s not just the right thing to do, but it’s the right business decision because now, more than ever, people are watching and they expect you to have some skin in the game.”

To learn more about these programs and Aflac's decades-long commitment to pediatric cancer research and treatment, visit AflacChildhoodCancer.org.