Fighting the Flu | Meet our Champions

PROGRAMS

Flu Champions

Education and advocacy efforts are important at all levels - national, regional, and local - to inform others about the seriousness of flu and the importance of flu prevention and treatment. Our Flu Champions program aims to help raise awareness starting at the community level - and that starts with advocates like you! Below you will find profiles of some real-life Flu Champions, as well as an assortment of available advocacy toolkits for school administrators, healthcare professionals, employers, community organizations, and general advocates. Together, we can #FightFlu and save lives!

Bethany Drapeau

Bethany lost her four-year-old daughter, Amiah, to the flu and now she’s working to raise awareness about flu and the importance of annual vaccination in her Native American community in South Dakota. As part of her efforts, Bethany participated in a local Labor Day parade and handed out Families Fighting Flu educational and promotional materials. In doing so, she reached over 5,000 people in her community! In addition to raising awareness about the flu in her local community, Bethany has also shared her story on a national level through media publications in both the U.S. and Canada. Kudos to Bethany and her team for being true flu fighters!

Read Amiah's Story

Samy Awwad

Samy is a high school student from Humboldt County, CA who is passionate about preventing infectious diseases, including flu! Samy has held several community and school workshops in an effort to educate his peers and others about the dangers of infectious diseases and the importance of vaccination. He has even started a non-profit called ImmuniGlobal in hopes that he can help start a ‘vaccination movement’, starting in his rural county where vaccination rates are low.

As part of his education and advocacy efforts, Samy distributes Families Fighting Flu educational materials in his school and community. Samy is an excellent example of young people making a difference in their communities!

Angie Wehrkamp

Angie lost her two-year-old daughter, Gianna, to the flu and she currently serves on the Families Fighting Flu Board of Directors. Angie is a very active flu advocate in her Sioux Falls, South Dakota community. She works with the local Sioux Falls Immunization Coalition (SFAIC) on several flu awareness efforts.

As part of SFAIC’s “Fight the Flu” 5K run, Angie and her family had an exhibit booth and handed out hundreds of Families Fighting Flu educational and promotional materials to local community members.

Angie also shared her story at a press conference for the North Dakota Department of Health, where even the governor was present to receive his annual flu vaccine! Angie is a passionate flu champion who is truly conducting life-saving work, both in her community and on a national level!

Read Gianna's Story

Christopher Dang

Christopher Dang is a high school student from Wesley Chapel, FL who conducted some peer-to-peer flu education along with his Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) group. As part of their education and advocacy efforts, Christopher and his team conducted classroom presentations at his school, held an informational booth to encourage students to pledge their commitment to getting a flu shot, handed out Families Fighting Flu educational materials to local businesses in his community, and even got involved with local legislators to make sure everyone knows the importance of annual flu vaccination. Christopher and his team are shining examples of good public health stewards!

Bethany Drapeau

Read Amiah's Story

her efforts, Bethany participated in a local Labor Day parade and handed out Families Fighting Flu educational and promotional materials. In doing so, she reached over 5,000 people in her community!

In addition to raising awareness about the flu in her local community, Bethany has also shared her story on a national level through media publications in both the U.S. and Canada. Kudos to Bethany and her team for being true flu fighters!

Christopher Dang

Angie Wehrkamp

Read Gianna's Story

Coalition (SFAIC) on several flu awareness efforts. As part of SFAIC’s “Fight the Flu” 5K run, Angie and her family had an exhibit booth and handed out hundreds of Families Fighting Flu educational and promotional materials to local community members.

Angie also shared her story at a press conference for the North Dakota Department of Health, where even the governor was present to receive his annual flu vaccine! Angie is a passionate flu champion who is truly conducting life-saving work, both in her community and on a national level!

Samy Awwad

Samy is a high school student from Humboldt County, CA who is passionate about preventing infectious diseases, including flu! Samy has held several community and school workshops in an effort to educate his peers and others about the dangers of infectious diseases and the importance of vaccination. He has even started a non-profit called ImmuniGlobal in hopes that he can help start a ‘vaccination movement’, starting in his rural county where vaccination rates are low. As part of his education and advocacy efforts, Samy distributes Families Fighting Flu educational materials in his school and community. Samy is an excellent example of young people making a difference in their communities!

Flu Champion Toolkits

In an effort to help advocates like you become Flu Champions in your community, we've developed these four toolkits that contain hard copies of our most popular educational materials and promotional products. You may order these toolkits for use in schools, doctors’ offices, healthcare clinics, business offices, and other important places within your community.

If you are interested in ordering any of these materials individually, please visit our Flu Educational Materials page.

For digital resources, we've also developed a social media toolkit, which is available here.

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