North Georgia High School Players Earn Spot on Aflac All-American Baseball Team
May 24 2007 - 1:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Ethan Martin and Taylor Hightower honored at Turner Field COLUMBUS,
Ga., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac has announced that 3B/RHP Ethan
Martin from Stephens County High School and C Taylor Hightower from
Cartersville High School have been named to the 2007 Aflac
All-American High School Baseball Classic roster where they will
compete in a game benefiting pediatric cancer research and
treatment. The high school athletes will be honored on field during
a pre-game ceremony at Turner Field on May 24 where they will be
presented with their official team jersey by Atlanta Braves third
baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann. The fifth annual
Aflac Classic is a showcase of the country's top rising high school
seniors in an East versus West match-up. The game will be played on
Aug. 11 at San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium. It will be
broadcast live on Fox Sports Net at 3 p.m. Eastern. As a part of
Aflac's ongoing commitment to the fight against childhood cancer,
all game proceeds from the 2007 Aflac All-American High School
Baseball Classic will benefit San Diego's Rady Children's Hospital.
The Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic is endorsed by
many of the game's pillars, including Major League Baseball. This
year, Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith will serve as the game's honorary
chairman. "I'm thrilled to join Aflac in honoring the stars of
tomorrow -- the very best high school players across the country --
in San Diego, my first major league home," Smith said. "I wish a
game like this existed back when I was in high school, and I can
only imagine how special it will be for these young men to get such
national recognition and exposure." Since 1995, Aflac's support has
helped make the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta one of the leading childhood
cancer hematology, and blood and marrow transplant programs in the
country. Aflac has raised nearly $35 million in donations to the
Aflac Cancer Center. Today's announcement is the latest official
stop of the 2007 Aflac National Selection Tour. The selection tour
is a multi-city tour that travels to the hometowns of the Aflac
All-Americans to announce their official selection to the team.
Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer, an organization dedicated to pediatric
cancer treatment and research is the official beneficiary for each
Aflac tour stop. On Tuesday night, Aflac hosted Braves Night at
Turner Field for Aflac Cancer Center children and their families.
The event, that began more than a decade ago, is a fun-filled night
that treats the patients and their loved ones to an evening of
baseball - an ambiance away from the treatment facilities that they
may be accustomed to. The first baseball night was sponsored in
1996 with one participating hospital - now that partnership has
increased to include over 15 hospitals and Major League Baseball
parks around the country. Baseball America and Perfect Game are the
official selection partners for the event and choose the players
for their accomplishments both on, and off the field, including
their involvement in the community. Sports America, Inc., is a
sports marketing and event management firm based out of Rockville,
Md., which created and currently produces the Aflac Classic. Sports
America also produces the McDonald's All-American High School
Basketball Game and Jordan Classic High School All-Star Basketball
Game. To learn more about the Aflac All-American High School
Baseball Classic, or dates and stops on the official selection
tour, visit http://www.aflacallamerican.com/. For more than 50
years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to
direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting
medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one
provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and
the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance
policies in force in Japan. Our insurance products provide
protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been
included in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired
Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazine's
list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for nine
consecutive years. Aflac has also been recognized three times by
both Fortune magazine's listing of the Top 50 Employers for
Minorities and Working Mother magazine's listing of the 100 Best
Companies for Working Mothers. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500
company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL.
To find out more about Aflac, visit http://www.aflac.com/. Media
Contacts: Tim Turner Aflac Incorporated 706-243-5594 (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO )
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac CONTACT: Tim Turner
of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, Web site:
http://www.aflac.com/ http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
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