HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS Donates $20,000 To UA Steele Children's Research Center To Fight Childhood Cancer
September 15, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. – Sept. 15, 2009 – Hyundai Motor America and its dealers announced today that the UA Steele Children's Research Center in Tucson, Ariz., has been selected to receive a donation of $20,000 from Hyundai Hope on Wheels™. The 2009 Hope on Wheels Tour is traveling nationwide to donate more than $1.3 million to childhood cancer research institutions and will be making a stop at the Steele Children's Research Center today at 9:30 a.m. to present the check at a ceremonial event.
Brenda J. Wittman, MD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in pediatric hematology/oncology at The University of Arizona College of Medicine has been named a 2009 Hyundai Scholar, and will use the funds to support her research related to patients with central venous catheter infections & thrombosis surveillance. Dr. Wittman will be recognized and the center’s childhood cancer patients will take part in the Hope on Wheels Handprint Ceremony, during which they dip their hands in finger paint and apply their colorful handprints to a white Hyundai Santa Fe. The car, which is covered in children’s handprints from all over the country, is the symbol of Hyundai Hope on Wheels.
This donation will support the work that the Steele Center is doing to support survivors of childhood cancer. The center’s childhood cancer patients will take part in the Hope on Wheels Handprint Ceremony.
“We are inspired every day by the brave children we meet at our Handprint Ceremonies,” said Jim Click, president of Jim Click Automotive Team. “When the kids place their handprints on the car, we are honoring their brave battles against cancer, commemorating their triumphs and sharing their hope for the future with other children and their families across the country.”
“Hyundai and its dealers have been committed to supporting the children, families and doctors battling childhood cancer for more than 10 years,” said Oscar Leeser, president of the Hyundai National Hope on Wheels Dealer Board, and El Paso, Texas, Hyundai dealer. “Even in the face of tough economic times for our industry, we will not waver in our commitment to supporting the medical research and training that will produce better treatments, therapies, and one day, a cure.”
This year, Hyundai Hope on Wheels marks 11 years of commitment to childhood cancer research efforts. Hyundai and its dealers have donated more than $12.4 million to children’s hospitals nationwide and collected hundreds of handprints from children fighting childhood cancer. More information and the complete list of 30 stops on the 2009 Hyundai Hope on Wheels Tour is available at www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org.
The UA Steele Children’s Research Center is the only facility in Arizona conducting research in pediatric diseases, including childhood cancer. Most recently, investigators at the Steele Center have developed a promising cancer vaccine that is nearing clinical trials. Steele Center physician-scientists are passionate about improving children’s health through research and clinical care.
And now, the Steele Center is partnering with University Medical Center (UMC), to build Diamond Children’s Medical Center, which will be the only children’s medical center in Southern Arizona connected to an academic research facility.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through nearly 800 dealerships nationwide.
HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS
Hyundai Hope on Wheels™ is the united effort of the nearly 800 Hyundai dealers across the U.S. to raise awareness about childhood cancer and celebrate the lives of children battling the disease. Hyundai and its dealers have donated more than $12.4 million to pediatric cancer research and is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.