Hyundai Hope On Wheels Announces Its 2019 Campaign For Pediatric Cancer Research

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., April 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels® (HHOW), a 501c3 nonprofit organization of Hyundai Motor America, announces its twenty-first annual campaign in the fight against pediatric cancer. A combined $16 million in new grants are awarded to 75 researchers for innovative approaches to helping kids fight cancer. Grant winning researchers and local child cancer fighters join HHOW for its national launch event, held at New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in the Jacob Javits Center on Thursday, April 18^th at 6:30 PM.

The campaign theme for 2019 is "Minutes are Precious". Every 36 minutes a child is diagnosed with pediatric cancer, affecting over 15,000 new cases for children and adolescents annually in the U.S. Every minute is precious, every second matters and every day we fight to find a cure for the disease. Click here to watch our campaign video.

When a child is fighting pediatric cancer, they often miss so many milestones of childhood - a first day of school, a birthday party with friends, a bike ride in the park, a musical recital, or a vacation with family. We recognize the importance of these milestones which provide the simple joys of childhood and that make life so precious.  By supporting innovative research and novel therapy, our goal is to insure every child wins their fight. 

"The fight against pediatric cancer is a priority for which Hyundai and its dealers have been committed for over 21 years," says Scott Fink, Board Chair and Hyundai dealer owner, Hyundai of New Port Richey. "For a child who travels the uncertain journey of pediatric cancer, every second is precious in the fight. Hyundai and its dealers are united in our goal to end childhood cancer. We continue to stand alongside these brave children and their families until we're celebrating a future that is finally cancer free."

HHOW remains one of the largest funders of pediatric cancer research and this year will reach $160 million in total lifetime funding towards finding a cure. Grants are awarded to Children's Oncology Group® (COG) institutions in the U.S. Grants are selected by an independent peer reviewed committee of pediatric oncologist. HHOW grants are offered five categories: Impact Award ($100,000), Young Investigator Grant ($200,000), Scholar Hope Grant ($300,000), Quantum Grant ($1 million), and Quantum Collaboration Grant ($2.5 million).

"The minutes families spend together with their children create the experiences that makes life worth living," says Brian Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor America. "When a child is diagnosed with pediatric cancer, they are denied so many of life's joys. With Hyundai Hope On Wheels, we seek to create the precious minutes that will allow a child to be cancer free and fulfill their dreams. Children are precious and they deserve every opportunity to win."

Returning for a second year, Ms. Elizabeth Blair (age 12 of Phoenix, AZ) and Carter Gates (age 14 of Colorado Springs, CO) will serve as the 2019 National Youth Ambassadors. Each will travel the country visiting children's hospitals and attending events to share their unique messages of hope and courage.

This year's launch announcement includes an exciting multimedia communications plan to increase awareness and engage more involvement.

• April 12^th ? 13^th, Hands On Hope contest for $50,000 in Washington, DC to Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
• April 15^th, Drive for Hope road tour from Washington, D.C. to New York. The trip includes stops at Johns Hopkins/Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore, MD; Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE; and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where each was presented a $10,000 grant for their child life programs.
• The Drive for Hope journey concludes in New York City, at which a unique HHOW message is aired on Hyundai billboard in Times Square (47^th and Broadway).
• On April 17^th, a pop-up musical concert is held at the Flatiron Public Plaza in Manhattan, with recording artist Doug E. Fresh, and D.J. Jamal McCoy (DJ Mal-ski).
• On April 18^th, the HHOW National launch event is held the New York International Auto Show.
• Additional information about this year's grant winners, campaign videos and consumer public engagement opportunities can be found on the HHOW newly designed website and social media channels.

HHOW 2019 Grants Tour
The HHOW Grants Tour is a nationwide effort from April to September, which travels the country presenting grant checks to selected children's hospitals and institutions. At each event, we conduct our signature handprint ceremony, at which kids get to put their hands in paint and place it on the HHOW hero vehicles, 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe, Tucson, or Kona vehicle. These vehicles serve as a canvas for hope, covered with handprints collected from children across the country battling this disease. These color handprints represent the dreams, journey and hopes of kids fighting cancer. They allow kids from across the nation to join hands with a common purpose to fight this dreaded disease. Each doctor-grant recipient receives a HHOW lab coat and is named a Hyundai Scholar.

In September, National Pediatric Cancer Awareness month, HHOW will announce a series of events to bring greater awareness about the issue. Supporters and followers of HHOW are invited to post photos or messages on social media using hashtag, #EndChildhoodCancer.

For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels and to view a list of our 2019 Hope On Wheels grant winners, please visit www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org/research.  You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels , twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or Instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels. 

ABOUT HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS
Hyundai Hope On Wheels® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $160 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com

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SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels