SAN DIEGO, CA – July 16, 2014 – Hyundai Hope On Wheels® and San Diego Hyundai dealers presented Dr. Tina Udaka with a $75,000 grant award for pediatric cancer research.
Dr. Udaka, a fellow at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, received a 2014 Hyundai Young Investigator Clinical Award to fund her work on brain tumors in children. She is one of 13 recipients of this award, which helps principal investigators pursue research and implement clinical programs aimed at improving the lives of children battling pediatric cancer.
Over the course of the year, Hope On Wheels will donate $13 million to children’s hospitals nationwide through its Hyundai Young Investigator Clinical Award and Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant programs. Celebrating its 16th year, Hope On Wheels will surpass $86 million in total donations to pediatric cancer research and programs since its inception in 1998. Since 2005, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego has received $825,000 from Hope On Wheels.
“With the generous and continued support of Hyundai, we will be able to further the identification and development of patient specific treatments for pediatric brain cancers like medulloblastoma,” Dr. Udaka said.
The award was presented during a Hope On Wheels Handprint Ceremony at Rady Children’s. The ceremony celebrates the courageous lives of the children faced with cancer and brings Hope On Wheels’ community of supporters together. During the ceremony, San Diego-area children battling cancer place their handprints dipped in colorful paint on a white 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, the official vehicle of Hope On Wheels.
“Hyundai is a brand that not only builds great cars, but is committed to doing good things that serve society’s needs,” said Dave Zuchowski, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Pediatric cancer is an issue that affects far too many children. Together with our dealers, we joined this fight in 1998. We are committed to ending this disease by funding lifesaving research. Through Hope On Wheels, we look forward to a world in which no child will have to face this terrible disease.”
The Hope On Wheels campaign theme for its 16th year is “Just One Wish.” This theme is designed to convey the organization’s mission to end childhood cancer. Through this campaign, Hope On Wheels will feature a series of online videos that profile child cancer survivors and their stories of hope.
Visitors to the Hope On Wheels website and social media channels can join the effort by posting their own message of hope using the hashtag #EndChildhoodCancer. The goal of the Just One Wish campaign is to show the collective support for these children and to honor their hopes, dreams and goals. The social community gives a voice on behalf of these children whose voices may otherwise go unheard.
For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels, please visit www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.
You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter by visiting facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels or twitter.com/HopeOnWheels.
Media Contact: Carlos Delgado
858-966-4901 (office)
cdelgado@rchsd.org