The Hyundai Hope On Wheels Foundation embarks on a nationwide tour this September in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to award $14.1 million to 38 researchers, surpassing $145 million in total giving.

Its theme “Every Handprint Tells a Story” details the bravery of kids fighting cancer, their families and the ground-breaking research of doctors fighting for a cure.

CLEVELAND, OH– September, 2018 – In the newest rounds of grants marking its 20^th anniversary, Hyundai Hope On Wheels® 501(c)(3), celebrates National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month awarding Dr. Yamilet Huerta of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (UH Rainbow) with the $200,000 Hyundai Young Investigator grant. This September, 38 new doctor-researchers will receive a combined $14.1 million in grants to support novel therapeutic approaches and innovative research options in pediatric cancer. The Hyundai Young Investigator award will be officially presented to Dr. Yamilet Huerta at UH Rainbow on Thursday, September 6th at 10:00 a.m. Dr. Huerta’s research is focused on finding a new treatment for acute myeloid leukemia by utilizing innovative immune therapies like genetically modified T cells to target specific tumor cells.

Childhood cancer researchers depend largely on private funding for groundbreaking therapies to get off the ground and to advance treatment approaches to the next phase of testing, ultimately, bringing better therapies and cures to kids with cancer.  With this latest award, UH Rainbow has received more than $1.8 million in grants from Hyundai Hope On Wheels, contributing to the $145 million in the organization’s total lifetime giving.

“Throughout the country, talented doctors are working tirelessly to help kids fight cancer by conducting research or providing bedside care,” said Scott Fink, chairman, Hyundai Hope On Wheels Board of Directors. “Our goal at Hope On Wheels is to provide these doctors with the grant funds they need to perform their lifesaving work.”

During the event, children, teens and young adults being treated at UH Rainbow for cancer and blood disorders will participate in the program’s signature Handprint Ceremony, in which they’ll dip their hands in paint and place their handprints on the Hope Vehicle, a white 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. As “Every Handprint Tells a Story,” the colorful handprints of brave pediatric cancer fighters represent their individual and collective hopes, dreams and journeys.  From now through the end of September, the Hope Vehicle will travel nationwide to honor kids battling cancer, raise awareness of the disease, and to inspire hope toward a cure.

Supporters are encouraged to visit the HHOW website (www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org) to view this year’s grant winners along with stories of brave cancer survivors and passionate doctor-researchers. Once there, supporters may add their handprint to a wall of hope to show their support for the cause. They will also find information on additional ways to support HHOW through social media efforts and events throughout the month. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels.

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 $145 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.

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About University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
Internationally renowned, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is a full-service children’s hospital and pediatric academic medical center with experts in 16 medical divisions and 11 surgical specialties who offer nationally ranked care not available at other institutions in the region, including a center dedicated to adolescent and young adult cancer treatment and Northeast Ohio’s only single-site provider of advanced maternal fetal medicine and neonatology services. As an affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the region, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital offers access to novel therapies, advanced technologies and clinical discoveries long before they are available nationwide. Rainbow pediatric specialists – all of whom also serve on the faculty at the School of Medicine – are engaged in today’s most advanced clinical research and are widely regarded as the best in the nation – and in some specialties, the best in the world. Learn more at Rainbow.org.