Children’s Hospital of New Jersey Awarded 2010 Grant from Hyundai Hope on Wheels
Newark, NJ—Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) was selected by Hyundai Hope on Wheels as one of 68 sites nationally to receive a grant for $100,000 ‘Hope on Wheels’ grant. Holly Gauthier, Vice President of Development at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC), where CHoNJ is located, reports that the funds will be used for to support programs and services at the Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at CHoNJ.
Local Hyundai dealers and representatives from Hyundai Motor America presented a Hope Grant to John Brennan, MD, Executive Director of CHoNJ and NBIMC on Thursday, September 23 at the hospital. September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Hyundai ‘Hope on Wheels’ is working to raise awareness of childhood cancer.
Wondwessen Bekele, MD, hematologist/oncologist with the Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, MD, Darrell Terry, Senior VP of Operations for Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; and Peter DiPersia, General Manager of Hyundai’s Eastern Region.
“We are very proud to be a recipient of Hyundai's ‘Hope on Wheels’ grant and for their ongoing support for children with cancer,” said Dr. Brennan. “Hyundai is helping to create a brighter future for our young patients and pediatric cancer patients across the country.”
The Hope on Wheels symbol is a white Hyundai Santa Fe crossover vehicle covered with colorful handprints from childhood cancer patients all over the nation. At each local ceremony to present grants, children attending the event are asked to place their own handprints on the vehicle to commemorate their battle.
The program has a National Youth Ambassador who travels the country to visit recipient sites and share her story of hope. Twelve-year-old Brianna Commerford has been selected to represent Hope on Wheels for 2010-2011. Brianna, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007, has endured grueling rounds of chemotherapy, transfusions, and infections. Today, she is healthy and in remission.
Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels has evolved into a non-profit program supported nationwide by all of Hyundai’s 780 dealers. Since 1998, the Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels has donated more than $14 million to children’s hospitals across the US to help kids fight cancer. Every time a new Hyundai vehicle is sold in the US, $5 is donated to Hope on Wheels.
The Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorder at CHoNJ uses a multidisciplinary approach to provide comprehensive care for children and young adults with cancer. The Center provides medical and psycho-social care at the time of diagnosis, during treatment and long-term care after the end of treatment. For more information, please call (973) 926-7161.
