Hyundai Hope on Wheels and local dealers will today award OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital with a $100,000 Hope Grant to support research related to early relapse detection for acute myelogenous leukemia. OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is one of 71 recipients of Hyundai Hope on Wheels’ 2011 Hope Grant program, where $7.1 million will be awarded to support research and programs in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The month-long program marks Hyundai Hope on Wheels’ largest donation period to-date, and will bring the total amount that the nonprofit has committed to childhood cancer, since it first began in 1998, to $43 million.
“We, at Hyundai, are thrilled to honor National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by donating Hope Grants to institutions that are creating new possibilities to support and help cure childhood cancer,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Hyundai and our dealers will continue to support these doctors and institutions and bring attention to the disease that affects so many young people.”
The $100,000 Hope Grant was officially presented during a ceremony at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital on Friday, Sept. 9, where children battling cancer placed their handprints in colorful paint on a canvas to represent their personal triumph.
“This generous grant validates our unwavering commitment to excellence in the care for children suffering from cancer and provides strong support to our efforts in developing the next generation of treatments to cure childhood cancer,” said Peter Kurre, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics in the Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
For the second year in a row, Hyundai’s competitive September program allowed institutions to apply for either research or programmatic grants. The submitted proposals were then reviewed by Hyundai’s elite board of medical directors. Each of the 71 Hope Grants will help fund new pediatric cancer research projects, and will be presented during a Hope Grant ceremony that will take place at the participating institution’s campus.
“We are proud to support the promising research projects and programs coming out of hospitals based right here in the Portland area,” said David Withnell, Withnell Hyundai. “Each and every colorful handprint tells a different story of courage and hope, reminding us that we can never give up on these kids and the fight to end childhood cancer.”
For more information on Hyundai Hope on Wheels’ September Hope Grant program and the 71 winning institutions, please visit HyundaiHopeonWheels.org.