Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at U.S. worksites, announced that it has been named winner of PR News' 2018 CSR Awards and Nonprofit PR Awards for its Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Aflac's 2016 CSR Report, "Everyone Has the Power to Do Good," features employees and independent sales agents who have championed social responsibility efforts in their respective communities.

"We are thrilled that PR News has recognized Aflac with this award, because it is the content of the report that drives the quality of the report," said Aflac Senior Vice President, Chief Brand and Communications Officer Catherine Hernandez-Blades. "We are proud of our reputation as a company that does things the right way, with transparency, honesty and ethics. It has been our company's commitment for more than 60 years, and this award serves as confirmation that doing good in the community is very good for business."

PR News recently celebrated the communicators who work hard to make the world a better place via corporate social responsibility and nonprofit initiatives. The awards luncheon, which took place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., featured campaigns, stories and programs, plus a keynote from Bob Filbin, chief data scientist at Crisis Text Line. The award winners were judged on the impact of the communications campaigns executed in the last 18 months and on the positive influence these companies and programs have had on society.

Notable highlights from Aflac's report include raising more than $110 million in contributions for childhood cancer support services and research; strengthening the company's emphasis on diversity, gender parity in pay, and ethics in the workplace; and reducing the businesses' carbon footprint through its Smart Green program. In the report, Aflac employees and independent sales agents licensed to sell Aflac products, who embody this year's theme, "Everyone Has the Power to Do Good," share stories about their work, bringing to life Aflac's ethical business practices, a productive and diverse workplace, philanthropic efforts and environmental sustainability initiatives. Aflac's report is guided by GRI standards and focuses on key CSR dimensions, as defined by Reputation Institute, considered the gold standard in reputation tracking.

In addition to the Sustainability/CSR Report win, Hernandez-Blades received the CSR Professional of the Year award.