Hyundai Motor USA to donate $15 million for pediatric cancer cure

Hyundai Motor’s US office said Wednesday that it would provide a $15 million fund this year for 68 research projects that aim to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

At a presentation held in Washington, the carmaker donated $1 million to five medical institutions and six project managers leading pediatric cancer research in the capital city, Virginia and Maryland. The event was attended by lawmakers from South Korea and the US, as well as Hyundai Motor President Chung Jin-haeng. It was also held to mark a summit between the leaders of the two countries Friday, the company said.

Those who attended include Sen. Benjamin Cardin from Maryland, Rep. Terri Sewell and Rep. Martha Roby from Alabama, Rep. Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania and Rep. Judy Chu and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher from California.

As part its community outreach, Hyundai and its dealerships have participated in the “Hyundai Hope on Wheels” fundraising project since 1998 to fight pediatric cancer, said Jerry Flannery, executive vice president of the carmaker’s US operations and temporary CEO for the carmaker’s US operation, stressing that children are the future.

The project is the second-largest fund in the US for pediatric cancer-related research and is expected to surpass $130 million by the end of the year, the company said. The fund has awarded grants to 787 research projects at 163 hospitals and medical institutions across the US so far, the company added.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)