Hyundai Hope On Wheels and Chattanooga-area Hyundai dealers last week awarded a $75,000 Hyundai Scholar Grant to the Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger to develop Southeast Tennessee’s first pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. Dr. Jennifer Keates, a pediatric oncologist from Children’s Hospital, is one of 40 recipients of a Hope On Wheels’ 2013 Hyundai Scholar Grant, which supports investigators known as Hyundai Scholars. Hyundai Scholars pursue research and implement clinical programs aimed at improving the lives of children battling pediatric cancer.
In 2013, Hope On Wheels will donate $14 million to children’s hospitals nationwide through its Hyundai Scholar Grant and Hyundai Hope Grant programs. This year, Hope On Wheels will surpass $72 million in total donations to pediatric cancer research and programs since its inception in 1998.
“We are grateful for the support of our local Hyundai dealers for allowing us to fulfill a much needed service to the cancer patients in our region,” said Dr. Manoo Bhakta, Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Division chief. “Approximately 45 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed and treated at Children’s Hospital each year, and we continue to treat and follow the patients’ progress throughout their teenage and adult years. This opportunity to create a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic will help support our program for years to come.”
“This grant from Hyundai will be an extension of my research to follow pediatric cancer patients throughout their care,” said Dr. Jennifer Keates, assistant clinical professor and oncology specialist at Children’s Hospital. “My studies will help researchers understand how cancer treatments have lasting effects in children as they grow older while also providing solutions to improve education and treatments for future generations.”
The $75,000 Hyundai Scholar Grant to the center was presented during a Hope On Wheels Handprint Ceremony at the hospital on June 20. During the ceremony, Chattanooga-area children battling cancer placed their handprints dipped in colorful paint on a white 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.
“Hyundai and its dealers remain committed to helping children in the fight against pediatric cancer,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “We are dedicated to providing crucial research dollars that will lead to finding cures and better treatment protocols for these precious children impacted by cancer. While cure rates approach 80 percent for some forms of pediatric cancer, far too many children and families are devastated by the disease. We are proud of our 15-year milestone for Hyundai Hope On Wheels, and remain keenly aware that there is much more work to be done.”
With every new vehicle sold in the U.S., Hyundai and its dealers make a contribution to Hope On Wheels.
For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels, visit www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.
Source: Erlanger