The long-term goals of Hyundai Hope On Wheels are the eradication of childhood cancers by raising awareness, awarding clinical grants and acknowledging the lives of children. But the program’s short-term goal is more immediate: To deliver hope to children and their families who are going through cancer treatment now.

Since only 4 percent of funding for cancer research goes to pediatric cancer, programs such as Hyundai Hope On Wheels generate additional research monies.

Cancer continues to be the leading cause of death by disease for U.S. children. Each year more than 15,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer in the United States.

“For the past 17 years, Hope On Wheels has funded research targeted at some of the most promising pediatric cancer initiatives in the medical community,” says Hyundai’s president and CEO, Dave Zuchowski. “These research awards play a vital role in developing new studies and providing a better understanding of these diseases.”

According to Zuchowski, the goal of the program is “survivability,” so doctors can leverage this research and one day “arrive at a time when no family has to ever face the prospect of losing a child to pediatric cancer again.”

Marked by a handprint ceremony, the theme of this year’s Hyundai Hope On Wheels program was “Every Handprint Tells a Story.”

For more information, visit the Hope On Wheels website at HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.