While the majority of the parent organization in the U.S. were busy celebrating Thanksgiving, Aflac Northern Ireland were busy hosting their second all-employee conference – Aflac NI Con ‘23.
With keynotes delivered from a number of the team as well as Mark McCormack, Vice President and Managing Director, it was an enlightening and re-energizing way to connect, collaborate and learn more about some of the work the teams have been doing.
But it wasn’t just about the work - earlier this year the team kicked off its fundraiser in support of the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity – a local charity that supports every child diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland. The unit is the only place in Northern Ireland where children can receive specialist treatment for cancer. Aflac Northern Ireland had set out an employee target for #ourbrood to raise £10,000 by November. With creative ideas and initiatives from sponsored wellness walks, the formation and debut performance of its very own Aflac rock band ‘Duck & Cover’ at our summer social, and golf at the Aflac Northern Ireland Open, to an incredible ‘Raise the Bar’ campaign selling chocolates, the employees raised a huge £17,675!
The good news didn’t stop there as Aflac Northern Ireland funds matched the employee raised total, which meant they were able to hand over a giant cheque of £35,352 to Jane Hoare, CEO, Children's Cancer Unity Charity.
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Jane joined the team on stage at Aflac NI Con to receive the cheque alongside a very special guest, Eva Royal who took to the stage to tell her cancer journey story. Now 17, Eva told the team about how she sometimes felt isolated during her treatment, but with the help of the charity that provided play therapists and even robots that provided a physical link from the classroom back to the child in isolation – all these various touch points helped her to reintegrate not only back into school but her wider social circles. Eva is thankfully now cancer free and has even returned to play hockey, a sport she loves. Through her awe-inspiring speech, Eva made a huge impact on the team.
Reflecting after her attendance at the event Jane said “Thank you to the team at Aflac NI for their warm welcome. It was fantastic to feel the positive energy from the Aflac team. It’s such a great organisation with brilliant people in it and it was very inspiring to see. Having spent much of the day before the conference dealing with the team in the Unit about a few of the young people who are really struggling and trying to support the individual challenges facing some of the families at the moment, I know just how far that £35,352 will go and what a positive impact it will make.”
Mark closed out the cheque presentation to Jane by saying “thank you to the whole team for their fundraising efforts, to the continued partnership with Jane and the Children's Cancer Unit Charity.”
Click here to view a video of the event.
Source: Written from press release
