leaving footprints in the battle against childhood cancer

Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the U.S. and a committed corporate ally in the fight against childhood cancer, honored a group of Dayton Children's Hospital heroes for the second year in a row with Duckprints Awards for leaving their footprints in the battle against childhood cancer.

“Aflac’s longstanding fight on behalf of children with cancer and their families has been a source of great pride, motivation and inspiration for the broad Aflac family for over 20 years,” Aflac Foundation President Kathelen Amos said. “We are pleased to welcome Dayton Children’s Hospital to our ongoing Duckprints celebrations and to honor each of these heroes for their unique contributions in this long-term commitment to eradicate childhood cancer once and for all.”

This year, Moms 4 Miracles, a group of Dayton area moms who have fundraised for Dayton Children’s Hospital since 2011, were honored as heroes in the fight against childhood cancer with a Duckprints Award.

About Aflac Duckprints Award Recipient Moms 4 Miracles

This group of Dayton area moms' mission is to make the fight against cancer a little easier for kids at Dayton Children’s. They call themselves Moms 4 Miracles and they are all blessed to have healthy children. But they say they are also blessed to have a children’s hospital close to home, a luxury not all families have.

So when founder Sallie Taylor heard a sermon at her church in 2011 about putting her life into play and using her God-given talents to help others, she knew it was time to count those blessings and share some with others. She signed up to pray for people with cancer and asked God to put her life into play. The next week she was called to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

She, in turn, called on her friends – an incredible group of other blessed moms – to help her raise money. They went above and beyond, raising $42,000 in honor of children with cancer, with the biggest fundraiser being a golf outing. That amount earned Sallie the title of “Woman of the Year” and cemented her future as a champion for kids.

The next year, she created the Moms 4 Miracles Fund through the Dayton Foundation. Every year, this group of dedicated moms hosts their annual golf outing. They have also added a Derby Day event and local businesses have all joined in with fundraisers.

All this work is for their “heroes” – that’s what they call kids they support who are battling cancer. With the proceeds, the Moms help pay off medical bills, make wishes come true, fund research or support hospital initiatives.

Battling cancer is a long process with weeks spent in the hospital at a time, so these Moms also have purchased gaming systems and iPads to help entertain kids. During the last year, they raised $25,000 to name an infusion room in the new cancer center.

All this fundraising takes a lot of time, hard work and perseverance, but Moms 4 Miracles say it’s actually become another blessing. They get to see the indomitable spirit of youth conquer illness. They get to be a part of healing and hope. And in the end, they get to help make miracles.

Thank you, Moms 4 Miracles, for your time and dedication in the fight against childhood cancer and supporting the new Mills Family Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.