New Peach Bowl Donation Fuels Breakthrough Pediatric Cancer Trials

$2.5 million investment advances 18 promising clinical trials, giving children and families new options for treatments.

ATLANTA, Aug. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Children fighting cancer have the opportunity to benefit from 18 promising drug trials, supported by the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, due to a new $2.5 million donation by Peach Bowl, Inc. to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

This second major capital injection follows the original $20 million contribution that established the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund in 2019. Since that time, the list of cutting-edge drug trials and treatments has grown to 18 and now encompasses seven pediatric and adult facilities around the country. Currently, 79 children are enrolled in drug trials for a variety of cancers.

"The Peach Bowl was created to give back, and we continue to follow that mission through our donation and commitment to fund the most promising clinical trials," said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO. "Our goal in creating the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund was to partner with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and give them the resources they need so that together we can work to advance treatment for childhood cancer."

The overall goal of the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund is to ensure that high-priority novel agents, devices and treatment strategies can be tested in patients at an accelerated pace, eventually leading to additional treatment options and cures. Funding is used specifically for developing drugs and novel treatments – including cellular therapies – that physicians at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center believe have the best chance of success.

"Thanks to the tremendous support from Peach Bowl Inc. our researchers will receive additional funding to help move their research from bench to bedside efforts as they continue to identify new ways to treat pediatric cancers," said Douglas Graham, MD, PhD, Chief, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 

In July, the fifth funding cycle was finalized, utilizing the final remaining $3.6 million from the original donation, to award funding to four new trials – bringing the total number of ongoing trials and studies to 18. The new trials include:

• Thomas Cash, MD will study a tumor-suppressing drug for eligible patients with solid tumors.
• Sarah Mitchell, MD will launch the first immunotherapy trial for children with osteosarcoma using a drug that has shown success as an upfront therapy for other pediatric cancers.
• Building off years of collaboration with the University of Georgia, Tobey MacDonald, MD's study aims to increase survival for children with incurable brain tumors using immunotherapy.
• Michelle Schoettler, MD will study a novel drug to prevent thrombotic microangiopathy following a blood and marrow transplant.

Peach Bowl, Inc. is committed to the long-term sustainability of the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund and is continuing to find ways to inject new funding into the program. That ongoing funding will include corporate donations from Peach Bowl, Inc. and Aflac totaling $200,000 in connection with the two Aflac Kickoff Games – set to be played over Labor Day weekend – along with the proceeds from the 50/50 fan raffles at the games potentially delivery another $100,000 for the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund.

In September 2018, Anna Charles "AC" Hollis, a patient at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, passed away from acute myeloid leukemia. Anna Charles is the daughter of Peach Bowl, Inc. VP of Sales, Benji Hollis and is the inspiration for the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, named in her honor.

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About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages and operates The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football's most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $69.3 million to organizations in need.

Peach Bowl, Inc Events:

Our Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year's Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including the CFP Quarterfinal in 2025 and the CFP Semifinal in 2026. Over its 56 years, the game has drawn 3.3 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 239.8 million viewers on ESPN, delivered $245.1 million in team payouts, and has created $889.77 million in direct economic impact and $51.85 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.

Our Aflac Kickoff Game is the nation's longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. With over 20 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation's top teams and has drawn 1.3 million fans, 100.4 million television viewers, distributed $117.7 million in team payouts and created an additional $564.8 million in economic impact and $39.2 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.

The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation's premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $9.7 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.

The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank is college football's most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.

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SOURCE Peach Bowl, Inc.