Peach Bowl LegACy Fund

In 2018, as Peach Bowl Inc. was planning a new, significant contribution to Children’s, Anna Charles Hollis, the young daughter of Peach Bowl executive Benji Hollis, received a devastating cancer diagnosis. Anna Charles’ journey quickly became the Peach Bowl’s inspiration, and the catalyst for a $20 million commitment to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to establish the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund, named for Anna Charles, or “AC” to family and friends.

“The Peach Bowl has a long history of supporting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and this gift—the largest we have ever given—is the ultimate evolution of that relationship,” said Gary Stokan, CEO and President, Peach Bowl, Inc. “We are joining the fight against childhood cancer and we are all in.”

Anna Charles was just 6 years old when doctors at Children’s discovered she had an aggressive form of leukemia known as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). What began as a visit to the Children’s Emergency Department following a routine tonsillectomy turned into an unimaginable journey with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for Anna Charles and her family—dad Benji, mom LeeAnna and sister Everlee. Sadly, she passed away from the disease on Sept. 16, 2018, just five months after being diagnosed.

“Anna Charles was special,” Benji remembers. “Cancer didn’t define her. In spite of leukemia and her wheelchair, every day she laughed, she sang, she played and she made me proud to be her dad. Without the love and support our entire family received from the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, it wouldn’t have been possible. They are amazing.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that in 2024, a total of 14,910 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 were diagnosed with cancer and 1,590 died.

As a national leader among childhood cancer, hematology, and blood and marrow transplant programs, serving children and young adults, the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center diagnosed and treated more than 500 new pediatric cancer patients in 2024. Ranked among the top pediatric cancer institutions by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals,” the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center is also one of the most active sites for childhood cancer research. Knowledge gained through our endeavors is shared with our peers, advancing the collective pursuit of a cure.

Despite being the leading cause of death by disease in children, childhood cancer receives less than 4% of federal research funds. With its transformational $20 million commitment, the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund will fund new pediatric clinical trials, advance development of high-priority drugs and devices, and accelerate testing. Stokan explains, “We are hyper-focused on fully funding innovative treatment strategies with the most potential and ultimately making them available to all children.”

With its transformational $20 million commitment since the launch of the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund in September 2019, Peach Bowl, Inc. has funded 14 clinical trials and studies at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, focused on a variety of cancer diagnoses, including malignant brain tumors, solid tumors, neuroblastoma, AML, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute graft vs. host disease and high-grade gliomas.

The average clinical trial lasts two years, and exciting new treatments often run out of funding before realizing their full potential. The Peach Bowl LegACy Fund seeks to bridge that gap by advancing pediatric clinical trials and pilot projects at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

“We are so grateful to the Peach Bowl, Inc. for its generous support of novel early phase pediatric oncology trials,” explains Douglas K. Graham, MD, PhD, Professor and Chief or the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Daniel P. Amos Chair, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. “These trials will offer the most promising new cancer drugs to children who have not responded to other standard therapies.”

Dan Wechsler, MD, PhD, Section Chief of Oncology and Associate Director of the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund (left), Douglas K. Graham, Chief, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, William G. Woods, MD Chair (center), Jason Fangusaro, MD, Director of Developmental Therapeutics and the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund (right)

PI: Dolly G Aguilera, MD 

Project Title: Phase II, Prospective Trial of Poly-ICLC (Hiltonol) Treatment in Children and Young Adults with Progressive Low-grade Gliomas

PI: William Thomas Cash, MD

Project Title: Pilot Study of Atezolizumab in Combination with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) and Surgery in Pediatric and AYA Patients with Pulmonary Recurrence of Osteosarcoma

Project Title: A Phase 1/2 Study of Padnarsertib (KPT-9274), a dual PAK4/NAMPT inhibitor, in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors

Co-PI: Jason Yustein, MD, PhD

Project Title: A Phase Ib Study of Tegavivint, a TBL1 inhibitor, with Gemcitabine in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Relapsed or Refractory Osteosarcoma.

PI: Bree Eaton, MD 

Project Title: Whole Brain Spectroscopic MRI guided Proton Therapy for Pediatric High-Grade Glioma

PI: Kelly Goldsmith, MD

Co-PI: Trent Spencer, PhD

Project Title: A Phase I Study of Allogenic Ex Vivo Expanded Gamma Delta (γδ) T Cells in Combination with Dinutuximab, Temozolomide, and Zoledronate in Children with Refractory or Relapsed Neuroblastoma

PI: Edwin Horwitz, MD, PhD

Interferon γ-Primed Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as Prophylaxis for Acute Graft v Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies

PI: Tobey MacDonald, MD

Co-PI: Kavita Dhodapkar, MD

Project Title: AflacST1901 A Phase I Study of WP1066 in Children with Refractory and Progressive or Recurrent Malignant Brain Tumors

PI: Tobey MacDonald, MD

Project Title: Repurposing Atovaquone for the Treatment of Pediatric Malignant Brain Tumors

PI: Tobey MacDonald, MD

Project Title: Indoximod-based Chemo-radio-immunotherapy for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Pediatric High-grade Glioma

PI: Sheila Stafford McThenia, MD 

Project Title: First-in-Child Phase I Trial of Minnelide in Malignant Pediatric Brain Tumors

PI: Sarah Mitchell, MD

Project Title: Phase 1b Study of DInutuximab with GM-CSF, Ifosfamide, and Etoposide for Children, Adolescent, and Young Adult (CAYA) Patients with Relapsed or Refractory OSteosarCOma (DISCO)

PI: Melinda Pauly, MD

Co-PI(s): Thomas Alexander, MD, MPH (UNC), William G. Blum, MD (Emory), Joshua Zeidner, MD (UNC)

Project Title: An Open-Label Evaluation Phase 1 Trial of the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of MRX-2843 in Adolescents and Adults with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia

PI: Muna Qayed, MD 

Project Title: CAR T-cells for Long-TermCure: A Risk-Based Approach to Post CD19 CAR T-cell Consolidation with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Pediatric, Adolescents and Young Adult B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

PI: Sunil S Raikar, MD 

Project Title: Third-party Allogeneic Gamma Delta T-cells for Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia and T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

PI: Michelle Schoettler, MD

Project Title: Prophylaxis with MASP-2 Inhibition to Prevent Severe Microangiopathy after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation- A Pilot Study (PRISM)

PI: Kathryn Sutton, MD

Co-PI: W. Thomas Cash, MD, MSc

Project Title: A Maintenance Protocol of Sirolimus in Combination with Metronomic Chemotherapy in Children with High-Risk Solid Tumors

PI: Kirsten Williams, MD

Co-PI: Muna Qayed, MD, MSc

Project Title: CD19/22 CARPOOL: Phase I trial of CD19/22 Chimeric Antigen Receptor Protocol with Objective of Tolerability in relapsed/refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL)