Ten Hospitals to Receive $10,000 Hyundai Hot Spot Awards to Provide Teens With More Activity Options

Fountain Valley, CA – June 19, 2012 – Hyundai Hope On Wheels® today introduced the Hyundai Hot Spot Program, a new initiative to help pediatric cancer institutions offer more activities for teen in-care patients.

Inspired by a former Hope On Wheels National Youth Ambassador, the program is being piloted in ten Northeastern region hospitals as part of the Hyundai Hope On Wheels Scholar Grant tour. Each institution will receive up to $10,000 for the purchase of personal technology and electronics, such as TVs, game consoles, computers and tablets.

“This is a new area for Hyundai Hope On Wheels, but we’ve already seen this type of program work successfully through a project we funded earlier this year at the Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children of Honolulu,” said Zafar Brooks, director of corporate social responsibility, Hyundai Motor America. “Hope On Wheels made a donation to completely renovate the hospital’s Children’s Playroom and open a Hyundai Hot Spot that now features a variety of entertainment options for patients and their families.”

After completing her term as the National Youth Ambassador this year, Brianna helped Hope On Wheels identify a void in teen-specific activity options offered by pediatric cancer centers across the country. The 14-year-old cancer survivor will continue to share advice with teen cancer patients through Hope On Wheels’ digital channels as part of the initiative.

“Having spent two years as the National Youth Ambassador for Hope on Wheels, I visited pediatric cancer hospitals all across the country and spoke with hundreds of pediatric cancer patients and survivors,” said Brianna Commerford, age 14. “Many hospitals offer incredible programs and activities for children and young adults, but teens like myself often don’t have much to do or look forward to while in treatment.”

Each selected recipient of the Hyundai Hot Spot Award will leverage the funds to purchase equipment that best suits their institution’s needs. The following pediatric cancer centers have been nominated for the award:
• Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (Buffalo, NY)
• Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, NY)
• Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical (Syracuse, NY)
• Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, PA)
• The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
• Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (Hartford, CT)
• Hasbro Children’s Hospital (Providence, RI)
• Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA)
• Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (New York, NY)

Over the course of the year, Hope On Wheels will donate $12 million to children’s hospitals nationwide for pediatric cancer research through its Hyundai Scholar Grant and Hyundai Hope Grant programs. By year-end 2012, Hope On Wheels plans to surpass $57 million in total since its inception in 1998.

Hope On Wheels primarily provides funds to nonprofit children’s hospitals across the U.S. for pediatric cancer research, and strives to build public awareness about the importance of this cause. The program is funded by Hyundai and its U.S. dealers. With every new vehicle sold in the U.S., Hyundai customers join Hyundai and its dealers in funding important life-saving research.

Contact

Joe Foster
Hyundai Motor America
Cell: (323) 572-5361
[email protected]

Joe Foster
Finn Partners
Cell: (323) 572-5361
[email protected]