Hyundai Motor America Presents “HUUUUGE” Help to Rochester Researchers Fighting Childhood Cancer

Next week, Hyundai Motor America and its dealerships will present Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong with a check for $40,000 to aid the hospital’s pediatric cancer research efforts.

Hyundai’s nationwide 2007 Hope On Wheels tour will visit 30 cities this fall, with donations nearing $1.5 million; Rochester, New York is one of five Northeastern cities that serve as tour stops, along with Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New York City. Hope On Wheels is the united effort of more than 750 Hyundai dealers to raise awareness for kids battling pediatric cancer.

Beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21 outside the hospital’s main entrance off Elmwood Avenue, the hospital will host a symbolic “handprint” ceremony that celebrates the children’s lives and treatment milestones by capturing their colorful handprints on a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe.

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 $8 million dollars to research institutions across the country to date. In 2007, Hyundai expects to reach $10 million in total contributions.

“We are excited to receive this donation and appreciate Hyundai’s continued commitment to pediatric cancer research,” said Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., and pediatrician-in-chief at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. “These funds will play a vital role in the success of our research efforts as we battle to eradicate childhood cancer.”

“We are proud to make this donation to an organization that has clearly shown leadership and dedication to the fight against pediatric cancer,” said Peter DiPersia, general manager of Hyundai Motor America’s Eastern region. “We hope that this program not only raises funds for these deserving institutions, but also raises awareness on a national scale so that other organizations are inspired to make a pledge against pediatric cancer.”

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

GOLISANO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT STRONG

Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong is the region’s only children’s hospital, providing care for thousands of children in Rochester and the surrounding 17-county Finger Lakes region. Located within Strong Memorial Hospital, 124-bed hospital is a division of the University of Rochester Medical Center; it offers a vast array of state-of-the-art technology and world-class treatment in its specialty areas, including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ( NICU ), the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit ( PICU ), the Adolescent Unit, the Children’s Unit; the Children’s Heart Center; and in the Pediatric Ambulatory Unit.

Research underway in the hospital’s pediatric division of the Department of Hematology/Oncology includes exploring if vaccine therapy or other immune therapies can reduce the risk of relapse of leukemia after bone marrow transplant, how to best tailor palliative care to meet the needs of children approaching the end of life, and how to reduce the risk of infection in patients undergoing various combinations of marrow transplants, chemotherapy and radiation. The division also participates as a full member of the Children’s Oncology Group and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute leukemia consortium, cooperating in various group and multi-site trials.

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 750 dealerships nationwide.

( Journalists are invited to visit our news media web site: www.hyundainews.com )