Lakeland Hyundai is a proud sponsor of Hyundai Hope On Wheels®, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide pursuing life-saving research to develop new treatments and ultimately a cure. Primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 800 U.S. dealers. Over the past 15 years, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has served as a collective effort to celebrate the lives of children affected by cancer and will continue to serve as an agent of change for the future of childhood cancer treatment until we find a cure.
Every time a new Hyundai vehicle is sold in the U.S., #Hyundai customers join Hyundai and its dealers in funding important life-saving research through the organization’s signature Hyundai Scholar Grant and Hyundai Hope Grant programs. In 2013, the program will award more than $14.0 million in grants for pediatric cancer research through its Hyundai Scholar Grant and Hyundai Hope Grant programs, bringing the organization’s lifetime total support to more than $72 million in pursuit of a cure.
The Hope On Wheels Scholar Grant program began in 2006 and each year visits children’s hospitals across the U.S. to donate funds and raise awareness for childhood cancer research. All stops during this program include a Hope On Wheels “Handprint Ceremony,” the program’s signature event which celebrates the lives of the brave children battling the disease by capturing their colorful handprints on a white Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.
Why handprints? Because there’s nothing more personal than a handprint – and part of the Hope On Wheels’ mission is to share the personal triumphs of each of these children with other childhood cancer patients and their families across the country. Whether it’s completing a round of chemo, celebrating a beautiful new head of hair or receiving a clean bill of health, one childhood cancer patient’s milestone can be another’s symbol of hope.
In 2010, Hope On Wheels expanded its efforts in the fight against childhood cancer to honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September). Together with its medical advisory committee, comprised of leading oncologists from the country’s top pediatric cancer institutions, Hope On Wheels developed a program to provide research funds called Hope Grants to children’s hospitals across the U.S. In 2013, Hope On Wheels will award at least 36 Hope Grants of $250,000 each, for a total of $9 million in support. These Hope Grants will fund childhood cancer research projects designed to improve the treatment and quality of life for children with cancer, and to ultimately find a cure. All grants will be distributed at Hope On Wheels Handprint Ceremonies during the month of September.
In 2011, Hyundai Motor America and Hope On Wheels announced a $10 million gift to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). The donation was the largest corporate gift in the hospital’s history. It is being used to fund groundbreaking pediatric cancer research, using the latest advances in genomic medicine to provide more effective, individualized treatment for children afflicted with this disease. CHOC Children’s recognized this gift by naming its cancer center of excellence the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s. The Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s is making significant strides in new treatment technology as the first organization to utilize Illumina’s RapidTrack Whole Genome Sequencing (RapidTrack WGS) service for cancer samples.
For more information on Hyundai Hope on Wheels, visit www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org.