Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Wins $250,000 Research Grant From Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Packard Children’s has received $630,000 from Hope On Wheels since 2004; Hyundai’s nonprofit to award $10.25 million in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

PALO ALTO – Hyundai Hope On Wheels and Palo Alto-area Hyundai dealers will today award Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford with a $250,000 Hope Grant to support research that combines gene targeting, deep sequencing and mass spectrometry to find new ways to improve therapies against childhood cancer.

“We are grateful to Hyundai Hope on Wheels for supporting Dr. Alejandro-Sweet Cordero this year. This funding will facilitate Dr. Sweet-Cordero’s important research to establish a multifaceted program focused on basic, translational, and clinical studies of Ewing’s sarcoma,” said Kathy Sakamoto, MD, PhD, Director of the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases at Packard Children’s. “We appreciate the support of a committed corporate partner, Hyundai, to help us achieve our goal of becoming one of the premier institutions performing cutting-edge research in hopes of finding a cure for childhood cancer.”

Packard Children’s is one of 41 recipients of Hope On Wheels’ 2012 Hyundai Hope Grants. In all, $10.25 million will be awarded in grants during the month of September in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

To improve the odds in the fight for a cure, Hope On Wheels raised its Hyundai Hope Grant award amount this year from $100,000 to $250,000. The month-long program marks Hope On Wheels’ largest research grant donation period to date. It will bring the total amount that the nonprofit has committed to childhood cancer to $57 million since it first began in 1998.

In its third annual September campaign, Hope On Wheels again opened its competitive grant program to all Children’s Oncology Group institutions. Every proposal received was reviewed by Hope On Wheels’ Medical Advisory Committee, comprised of leading pediatric oncologists from around the country.

Each of the Hyundai Hope Grants will be presented to winning institutions at a signature Handprint Ceremony. This ceremony captures the colorful handprints of young cancer patients and places them on a white 2012 Hyundai Tucson, the official vehicle of the program. Every Handprint Ceremony celebrates the lives of the children faced with cancer and commemorates their brave battles with cancer.

“At Hyundai, our goal is for a child to never again have to hear the words ‘you have cancer’,” said John Krafcik, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Through the support of our dealers, hospital partners, and online community, this goal is attainable as we join together for a cure. We congratulate and commend each institution for their important and life-changing work, and thank our supporters for their continued efforts.”

About Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is an internationally recognized 311-bed hospital, research center and leading regional medical network providing the full complement of services for the health of children and expectant mothers. In partnership with the Stanford University School of Medicine, our world-class doctors and nurses deliver innovative, family-centered care in every pediatric and obstetric specialty, tailored to every patient. Packard Children’s is annually ranked as one of the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and is the only Northern California children’s hospital with specialty programs ranked in the U.S. News Top 10. Learn more about us at lpch.org and about our continuing growth at growing.lpch.org. Friend us on Facebook, watch us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.

About Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Costa Mesa, 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 800 dealerships nationwide.

About Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Hyundai Hope On Wheels® is the united effort of Hyundai Motor America and its more than 800 dealers across the U.S. to raise awareness for childhood cancer and to celebrate the lives of children battling the disease. For 2012, Hyundai Hope On Wheels plans to surpass $57 million in total donations to childhood cancer research since the program began in 1998. Hyundai Hope On Wheels is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information on Hyundai Hope On Wheels and its efforts during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, please visit HyundaiHopeonWheels.org.