Category Archives: Hope on Wheels

Gary Rome Hyundai Joined Hyundai Motor America to Help Fight Childhood Cancer with the 2010 Hope on Wheels Tour

September 2010 – Now in it’s twelfth year, Hope on Wheels continues to embody Gary Rome Hyundai’s commitment to helping kids fight cancer. Hope on Wheels has donated millions of dollars to children’s hospitals across the country. This year the Tour will award grants to doctors doing important childhood cancer research. September is National Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month so Gary Rome Hyundai wants to do everything possible to help the cause.

On Tuesday September 14th at 11:30am Hyundai Hope On Wheels will be awarding a $100,000 grant at the D’amour Cancer Center, 3350 Main Street, Springfield, Massachusetts. Gary Rome Hyundai is proud to be a part of this incredible Grant Presentation and hopes area media will attend and help spread the word of how Hope On Wheels is benefiting the Baystate Health Foundation.

Every time a car is sold this September at Gary Rome Hyundai, Gary will donate $100 to Hope on Wheels. Gary Rome Hyundai is part of the 780 nationwide dealerships working diligently to raise as many dollars as possible.

The 2010 Hope of Wheels Tour is just one of the ways Gary Rome Hyundai gives back to the community. Several fund raising efforts as well as participation in local humanitarian promotions are very important ways Gary Rome Hyundai says thank you.

For more information and the complete list of 2010 Hyundai Hope on Tour stops visit www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org.

Hyundai Donates $2.1 Million to Childhood Cancer Research with 2010 Hope on Wheels Tour

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Ceremonies at the New York International Auto Show and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama Mark Launch of 2010 Hyundai Hope on Wheels Tour

Hyundai Motor America and its dealers will launch the 2010 Hyundai Hope on Wheels tour today during Hyundai’s press conference at the New York International Auto Show. With newly-named Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador Brianna Commerford, 12, standing by, Hyundai CEO John Krafcik will announce the 2010 tour, which will visit more than 40 children’s hospitals across the country. This year’s tour will donate $2.1 million to support childhood cancer research.

Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador Brianna battled Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was just ten years old. Now healthy and in remission, Brianna wants to share her story to spread awareness and help bring hope to other children facing cancer. Brianna will serve a two-year term as the Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador.

“At Hyundai, we believe in doing what others might think is impossible,” said John Krafcik, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “With the dramatic increase in survival rates that we’ve seen over the past several decades, we believe that a cure for pediatric cancer is now within reach. Hyundai is focusing the bulk of our philanthropic efforts on funding childhood cancer research through Hope on Wheels so that one day no child will ever have to face cancer.”

The first official hospital donation event of the year will take place later today as Hope on Wheels donates $125,000 to the Hope & Heroes program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. This year, Dr. Jennifer Levine and Dr. Julia Glade Bender have been selected to receive the donation, which will support their research. Children receiving treatment at the hospital and their families will join Brianna and New York area Hyundai dealers for a special Handprint Ceremony at the Hyundai booth. The children will place their handprints in colorful paint on the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, the official vehicle of the Hope on Wheels Tour, to commemorate their brave battles with childhood cancer.

“Since 2004, Hyundai has been a dedicated donor to the children’s cancer research program at the Herbert Irving Child and Adolescent Oncology Center,” said Dr. Michael Weiner, director, Herbert Irving Child and Adolescent Oncology Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center. “We are proud to be a recipient of Hyundai’s generosity and ongoing support for children with cancer.”

Later this month, U.S. Hyundai dealers will gather at the company’s manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama for their annual national dealer meeting. The company and dealers together will present a ceremonial check for this year’s $2.1 million donation to Brianna on behalf of all the children helped by childhood cancer research. The second hospital donation of the 2010 tour will be made to the Children’s Hospital of Alabama in the amount of $40,000.

“On behalf of Hyundai dealers across the country, Hope on Wheels is honored to continue its support for childhood cancer research in 2010 and recognize the brave children who are battling this disease” said Oscar Leeser, President of the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Foundation and dealer owner of Hyundai of El Paso in El Paso, Texas. We are proud to be able to award research grants to the Hyundai Scholars – they are the pediatric oncologists whose unwavering dedication to research helps to care for children facing cancer and gives them hope for a healthy future.”

This year Hyundai Hope on Wheels marks its 12th year of commitment to supporting childhood cancer research efforts. Hyundai and its dealers have donated more than $14 million to children’s hospitals nationwide and collected hundreds of handprints from children fighting childhood cancer. Every time a new Hyundai vehicle is sold in the U.S., $5 is donated to Hope on Wheels. More information and the complete list of 2010 Hyundai Hope on Wheels tour stops is available at www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org.

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 more than 780 dealerships nationwide.

HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS
Hyundai Hope on Wheels™ is the united effort of all 780 Hyundai dealers across the U.S. to raise awareness about childhood cancer and celebrate the lives of children battling the disease. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has donated more than $14 million to childhood cancer research since 1998 and is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Gary Rome of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke Named Chair For The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk

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Encourages The Community to Help a Good Cause

February 19, 2009 – The Massachusetts Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently named Gary Rome of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke chair of its 2009 Northampton Light The Night® Walk, the LLS annual fundraising event held each fall to raise money for cancer research and patient services.

LLS holds walks each fall in approximately 230 communities across the United States and Canada. Participants at the walks carry illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters, and gold for those walking “in memory” – to honor and commemorate lives touched by blood cancer. This year’s Northampton Light The Night Walk will take place on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at Look Memorial Park in Northampton, MA.

“Light The Night is a great way to build a spirit of caring and cooperation among employees as they help others,” said Gary Rome “I am honored to serve as the chair and I look forward to encouraging commitment from local businesses and members of the community.”

Mr. Rome and his staff at Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke participated in the 2008 Northampton Light The Night event. The car dealership formed a team, captained by Cliff Dexheimer, General Sales Manager for the retail location, and raised over $5,000 for LLS. The team also brought along their Hyundai Hope on Wheels Santa Fe vehicle. In 1998, Hyundai Motorcars of America founded their own independent nonprofit called Hyundai Hope on Wheels, an organization dedicated to funding research of childhood cancers. In Northampton this past fall, Mr. Rome’s Hope on Wheels vehicle was ceremoniously decorated with handprints of local childhood cancer survivors in celebration of their strength, courage and perseverance. In addition to serving as Walk Chair in 2009, Mr. Rome will once again be bringing the Hope on Wheels vehicle to the event.

The funds raised through corporate and individual contributions help to find cures and better therapies for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to provide information, education and support for patients and their families.

“Light The Night Walk gives hope to patients and their families and lets them know they are not alone in their battle against cancer,” said Sharon Klein, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Chapter.

To find out more about forming a team or participating in a Light The Night walk, contact the Massachusetts Chapter’s Light The Night Staff at 508-810-1342 or online at www.lightthenight.org/ma.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. www.lls.org.

Light the Night Follow Up

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Dear Friends,

Last night was the 2008 Light the Night Walk for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and myeloma. Thanks to all of you who contributed, it was their most successful walk ever! The Gary Rome Hyundai Team, with Gary matching every donation dollar for dollar, raised over $5000 to help find a cure for these dreaded diseases.

As part of the ceremony, we brought a Hyundai “Hope on Wheels” Santa Fe for children who have survived their battle against disease to hand paint their impressions on. Ten kids from ages 5 to 18 participated in the event and I’ve attached a picture of one of them.

I’ll be back next year with a goal of $10,000 and hope you can renew your commitment to this most worthy cause. If you didn’t get a chance to contribute this year, please click here.

Thank you again,

Cliff Dexheimer and the Gary Rome Hyundai Team

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is Coming to Northampton!

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hyundai and its dealers’ commitment to supporting the fight against pediatric cancer. Since its inception in 2004, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has donated more than $10 million to institutions nationwide to help kids fight cancer. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Hope on Wheels and Hyundai and its dealers have expanded the program to make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s network of doctors engaged in pediatric cancer research. The Hope on Wheels Tour will be represented at all 240 of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walks nationwide and will hold handprint ceremonies at select events.

Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, MA has graciously teamed up with Hope On Wheels and will be attending the Northampton Light The Night Walk on Sunday, September 14th. Gary Rome Hyundai will be providing a Hope on Wheels Santa Fe vehicle for the event to be used during the handprint ceremony as well as to serve as a pace car for the Walk.

If you are a child patient/survivor or you will be walking with one of these individuals , please contact Rebecca.Longworth@lls.org or 508-810-1318 to reserve your place in the handprint ceremony.

Questions? Contact Rebecca. (See contact info above)

Hyundai Motor America and its Dealers Launch National Hope on Wheels Tour to Support Pediatric Cancer Research

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2008 Tour Will Donate More Than $1.6 Million and Commemorate 10 Years of Hyundai Dealers Supporting the Fight Against Pediatric Cancer

Fountain Valley, Calif., 06/25/2008 The 2008 national Hyundai Hope on Wheels™ Tour launched yesterday in Los Angeles with a ceremony to honor the pediatric cancer patients at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The Tour will visit 32 children’s hospitals across the country from June through November, donating a total of $1.6 million to support the fight against pediatric cancer.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels is the united effort of nearly 800 Hyundai dealers across the U.S. to raise awareness about pediatric cancer and celebrate the lives of children battling the disease. The 2008 Hope on Wheels Tour will highlight the need to support the training and education of the next generation of doctors. Donations made this year will fund the research of one doctor at each institution, as selected by the hospital’s pediatric oncology supervisors. These medical professionals, known as Hyundai Scholars, are in the third or fourth year of a qualified fellowship program in pediatric cancer research, or are in the first seven years of their medical practice specializing in pediatric oncology.

“Between 1975 and 2003, the five year survival rate of childhood cancer rose from 58 percent of patients to almost 80 percent of patients, due to major advances in treatments,” said Dr. Leonard Sender, Chairman of the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Medical Advisory Board and Division Chief of Oncology at Children’s Hospital Orange County. “Hyundai and its dealers have shown a strong commitment to the fight against pediatric cancer, and, as physicians, we appreciate their grasp of the need to support the medical professionals who conduct the vital research that propels us forward in the search for better treatments and ultimately a cure.”

New England-area Hyundai dealers started a local initiative in 1998 to raise money for the Jimmy Fund at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Ten years later their work has grown into the Hope on Wheels national program. Since the inception of Hope on Wheels, Hyundai and its dealers have donated more than $10 million to fund pediatric cancer research.

“Hyundai and its dealers are so proud that our local, grassroots efforts have grown into a national organization that supports hospitals across the U.S.,” said Oscar Leeser, President of the Hyundai National Hope on Wheels Dealer Board, and El Paso, TX Hyundai dealer. “The Hope on Wheels Tour recognizes the hospitals that are leading the fight against pediatric cancer and honors the brave children who have faced this disease, sharing their stories with other children and families across the country.”

As the tour travels across the country, it will visit each hospital that has been selected to receive a donation to present a check and host a Handprint Ceremony, the cornerstone of the Hope on Wheels Tour. The Handprint Ceremony celebrates pediatric cancer patients’ lives and treatment milestones by capturing their colorful handprints in ink on a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicle, sharing their hope with other children and their families across the country. Hope on Wheels has collected hundreds of handprints and will add many more this summer as the 2008 Tour crosses the country.

At the 2008 kick-off ceremony at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Hyundai representatives introduced the 2008 National Youth Ambassador for the Hyundai Hope on Wheels program, Miss Sammy Heim. Sammy, a brave ten-year-old from Yorba Linda, California, was diagnosed with a soft tissue tumor called Rhabdomyosarcoma nearly two years ago. Throughout her treatment, Sammy’s strength and positive attitude never wavered, and now that she is in remission, she is dedicated to helping other children battling cancer.

“I don’t want other innocent kids to have to go through what I did,” Sammy said. “If we didn’t help raise money for cancer research, a lot of kids would have died because they wouldn’t know what it was or how to cure it.” She added, “I want to help raise money for cancer research, too.” The Hope on Wheels Tour has donated more than $10 million to children’s hospitals nationwide and collected hundreds of handprints from children fighting pediatric cancer. The complete list of 2008 Hope on Wheels Tour stops, including benefiting hospitals, is available at www.hopeonwheels.com.

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 more than 780 dealerships nationwide.

HOPE ON WHEELS

Hope on Wheels™ is the united effort of more than 780 Hyundai dealerships across the U.S. to raise awareness about pediatric cancer and celebrate the lives of children battling the disease. Hope on Wheels is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Hyundai Motor America Launches Hyundai Scholars Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Program

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Hyundai Motor America Launches Hyundai Scholars Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Program

NEW PROGRAM TO RAISE MORE THAN $10 MILLION IN FIVE YEARS FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 12/12/2007 Hyundai Motor America and its dealers announced the launch of the Hyundai Scholars Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and presented a $150,000 check to the CHOC Cancer Institute. The Hyundai Scholars Fellowship Program will fund research positions at top pediatric cancer centers across the country, helping doctors find cures for this devastating disease. The program’s goal is to raise more than $10 million for pediatric cancer research in the next five years.

“Hyundai and its dealers have been great allies in the fight against pediatric cancer with financial and emotional support to hospitals, patients and their families,” said Dr. Leonard Sender M.D., Director of the Cancer Institute at CHOC and Director of Clinical Oncology Services at CHAO Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UC Irvine. “The funds received from Hope On Wheels and the Hyundai Scholars Fellowship Program will be put to good use in our research department as we continue to look for new solutions and innovative tools in the pursuit of a cure.”

Keith Duckworth, executive vice president, General Affairs, Hyundai Motor America (HMA) and Zafar Brooks, director, Corporate Affairs and Diversity Outreach, HMA, presented Dr. Sender with a check for $150,000 to further research in the pediatric oncology department. Earlier this year, Hyundai presented Dr. Dan Wechsler at Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, North Carolina with a check for $140,000. A third Hyundai Scholars Fellowship Program donation will be awarded to Dr. David Pollack at Texas Children’s Hospital this winter. The doctors awarded in 2007 will serve as the founders of Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels medical advisory board and lead the design of the nationwide Hyundai Fellowship Program in 2008.

Since the inception of Hope On Wheels in 2004, Hyundai and its dealers have visited more than 100 hospitals nationwide (30 in 2007 alone) and donated more than $10 million dollars. Hyundai’s Hope On Wheels program is a united effort of more than 750 Hyundai dealers to raise funds for pediatric cancer institutions across the nation. The tour features a white Hyundai Santa Fe covered with the colorful handprints of pediatric cancer patients from all over the country collected at “handprint” donation ceremonies.

“Hyundai’s involvement in pediatric cancer has grown both in total contribution and company-wide commitment since the beginning of the Hope on Wheels program,” Brooks said. “With the implementation of the Hyundai Scholars Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Program, Hyundai hopes to further develop awareness around pediatric cancer research funding and inspire others to support this important cause.”

The complete list of 2007 Hope On Wheels tour stops, including benefiting hospitals, is available on www.hopeonwheels.com.

Hyundai Motor America Continues Its Fight Against Pediatric Cancer WIth The 2007 Hope On Wheels Tour

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Hyundai Motor America Continues Its Fight Against Pediatric Cancer With The 2007 Hope On Wheels Tour

With 28 Nationwide Stops Planned For 2007, Hyundai Hopes To Surpass $10 Million In Total Contributions Since The Program’s Inception

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 06/18/2007 Hyundai Motor America and its dealers announced their recommitment to the fight against pediatric cancer with the 2007 Hope On Wheels tour. Hope On Wheels is the united effort of more than 750 Hyundai dealers to raise awareness for kids battling pediatric cancer.

This summer, 28 ceremonial donation events will take place at pediatric cancer research institutions across the country to celebrate children’s lives and treatment milestones by capturing their colorful handprints on a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. As part of each ceremony, regional Hyundai dealers support the life-giving work being done by these hospitals with donations raised through the sale of Hyundai vehicles. In addition, Francesca Arnaudo, a two-time cancer survivor now 11 years old, will once again be the Hyundai Hope On Wheels spokes-kid for 2007.

Since the inception of Hope On Wheels in 2004, the tour has visited more than 70 hospitals nationwide and collected more than 300 handprints at “handprint ceremonies.” Hyundai and its dealers have contributed more than eight million dollars to research institutions across the country to date. In 2007, Hyundai expects to reach $10 million in total contributions.

“Fifty years ago children with standard risk leukemia had very little hope of surviving, but with the aid of pediatric cancer institutions across the nation they now have close to a 90 percent chance of being cured,” said Dr. Leonard Sender, M.D., medical director of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Cancer Institute. CHOC is an ongoing beneficiary of Hyundai’s pediatric cancer efforts and recently received an all-new Hope On Wheels Santa Fe. “With the donations and generous aid we receive from organizations like Hyundai, our facility and others can continue to conduct the research and innovative forward-thinking that enable us to provide our patients with the best clinical care and preventative tools.”

“We are excited and proud to continue our ninth year commitment to helping children who have overcome or are battling pediatric cancer,” said Steve Wilhite, chief operating officer, Hyundai Motor America. “Providing financial assistance is just the first step. Hyundai plans to be personally and emotionally committed to the Hope On Wheels campaign as we raise awareness and support in multiple communities.”

The complete list of 2007 Hope On Wheels tour stops, including benefiting hospitals will be updated on www.hopeonwheels.com.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA