Metroplex Players Earn Spot on Aflac All-American Baseball Team
June 05 2007 - 9:51PM
PR Newswire (US)
Kelly and Swagerty honored at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
COLUMBUS, Ga., June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac has announced that LHP
Walker Kelly (Arlington Heights HS) of Fort Worth, Texas and LHP/C
Jordan Swagerty (Prestonwood Christian Academy) of Sachse, Texas,
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 Rangers
Ballpark in Arlington on June 5 where they will be presented with
their official team jersey by Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler.
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 aflac.com. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO ) Media
Contacts: Tim Turner Aflac Incorporated 706-243-5594
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT:
Tim Turner, Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, or Web site:
http://www.aflac.com/ http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
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