The Washington, D.C. Auto Show and Washington Area Hyundai Dealers Team up to Support Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National Hospital Through "Hands On Hope" Contest

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers, The Washington, D.C. Auto Show, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Children's National Hospital come together annually to fight pediatric cancer through the Hyundai Hands On Hope Contest at The Washington, D.C. Auto Show. In 2019, the longstanding "Hands On" contest at The Washington, D.C. Auto Show took a turn decidedly for the better – the contest would still award a winner a brand new Hyundai, but more importantly, as part of the contest, The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers would provide pediatric cancer research grants to Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National.  Drawing inspiration from Hyundai Hope on Wheels, the new contest was named "Hands On Hope."

To ensure the safety of contestants, and keep much needed hospital personnel available to fight the pandemic, the vehicle challenge portion of the contest will not occur this year. However, The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers recognize the financial strain the pandemic has put on hospitals, and instead of canceling the contest entirely, they will continue the $100,000 in financial support to Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National.

On Saturday, January 22^nd, at 2 p.m., in the Hyundai display at The Washington, D.C. Auto Show (Lower Level, Hall A), The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers will present each hospital with a $50,000 check to support their most critical needs during the pandemic.

For Georgetown Lombardi, the $50,000 will be put towards funding pediatric cancer research. The pandemic has put a financial strain on research, with funds diverted to address the pandemic. However, pediatric cancer, unfortunately, still presses on. "Every 36 minutes a child is diagnosed with pediatric cancer" shared Kevin Reilly, President of The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers. "As such, we need to do all we can to put funds in the hands of researchers finding cures, and saving children's lives," Reilly added.

Jeffery Toretsky, MD, a pediatric oncologist and researcher at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and previous recipient of grant funding from Hyundai Hope on Wheels says such awards allow him and his lab to be more imaginative, even if approaches fail.

"If we, pediatric oncologists, don't aggressively go after novel approaches to creating drugs that are most important for targeting childhood cancer, nobody will. Our work at Georgetown has led to a current clinical trial in Ewing sarcoma. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has provided resources for my team to search outside the box in order to achieve new ways to treat cancer in both children and young adults." Toretsky said.

Children's National is also a leader in the fight against pediatric cancer. "Hyundai Hope On Wheels has fueled some of the most promising cancer research projects underway at Children's National," said Jeffrey Dome, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's National. "We are grateful to Hyundai Hope on Wheels — and all of the dealerships here and around the country — for their partnership and generous support for research in pediatric oncology."

In addition to partnering with Children's National to fight pediatric cancer, Hyundai has partnered (through its charity Hyundai Hope on Wheels) to help fund COVID-19 testing for children. In that same spirit, Children's National will use the financial support of $50,000 to help fund COVID-19 testing.

"This support for urgent COVID-19 relief comes at critical time," says Meghan Delaney, DO, MPH, Division Chief of Pathology and Lab Medicine at Children's National. "With Omicron, it was spreading in the communities and impacting our staff. Washington area Hyundai's dealers' generous gift helps us during this time so we can continue to serve our patients and families who rely on us."

The announcement of the $100,000 in financial support was made today by The Washington, D.C. Auto Show President and CEO John O'Donnell and Kevin Reilly, owner of Alexandria Hyundai, and representative of The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers.

"The Hyundai Hands On Contest has long been a hallmark event at our show," O'Donnell said. "We are thankful for the continued generosity of The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers in supporting our local medical centers to help the most vulnerable among us in their greatest time of need."

"Hyundai has a long history of supporting the fight against pediatric cancer and the Hyundai Hands On Hope Contest contributes to that fight, benefiting two innovators in this field, Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National," Reilly said. "The Washington Area Hyundai dealers are proud to support their great work with $100,000 total in grants, especially during such challenging times."

Hyundai dealers in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as throughout the United States, support Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding cures for pediatric cancer. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope on Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers, including the 19 Hyundai dealers that comprise The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers.

In 2021, Hyundai Hope on Wheels awarded researchers at Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National collectively $1 million in pediatric cancer research grants ($500,000 in grants to each institution). "Hyundai Hope on Wheels has long supported the incredible pediatric cancer research undertaken at Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National, and was proud to support their ground breaking research in 2021 with another $1 million in grants" said Reilly, member of the Board of Directors of Hyundai Hope on Wheels.

To date, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has provided over $5 million in pediatric cancer research grants collectively to Georgetown Lombardi and Children's National (approximately $3 million in grants to Georgetown Lombardi and over $2.2 million in grants to Children's National). Since its inception in 1998, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has contributed over $185 million to the fight against pediatric cancer.

The Washington, D.C. Auto Show takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, D.C.

The Washington, D.C. Auto Show
The 2022 Washington, D.C. Auto Show opens to the public on Friday, January 21 and runs through Sunday, January 30. It is one of the five top auto shows in the United States and is the largest indoor consumer event in the District of Columbia. The show is being held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where automakers will display over 400 vehicles.

Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a comprehensive cancer center. A part of Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown Lombardi is the only comprehensive cancer center in the Washington, D.C., area. It serves as the research engine for MedStar Health, Georgetown University's clinical partner. Georgetown Lombardi is also an NCI recognized consortium with John Theurer Cancer Center/Hackensack Meridian Health in Bergen County, N.J. The consortium reflects an integrated cancer research enterprise with scientists and clinicians from both locations. Georgetown Lombardi seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic, translational and clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach to service communities throughout the Washington region, while its consortium member John Theurer Cancer Center/Hackensack Meridian Health serves communities in northern New Jersey. Georgetown Lombardi is a member of the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (UG1CA239758). Georgetown Lombardi is supported in part by a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA051008).

Children's National Hospital
Children's National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., was established in 1870 to help every child grow up stronger. Today, it is among the nation's top-10 children's hospitals. It is ranked No. 1 for newborn care for the fifth straight year and ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. Children's National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. The Children's National Research & Innovation Campus opened in 2021, a first-of-its-kind pediatric hub dedicated to developing new and better ways to care for kids. Children's National has been designated three times in a row as a Magnet^® hospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty care locations in the D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia. Children's National is home to the Children's National Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter andLinkedIn.

For more information on The Washington Auto Show please visit: www.washingtonautoshow.com.

Also:
Twitter: @WashAutoShow Facebook: @WashAutoShow Twitter: @MobilityTalks Facebook: @MobilityTalks Twitter: @LombardiCancer Facebook:@GeorgetownLombadi
Twitter: @ChildrensNatl Facebook: @Childrens.national

Twitter: @hopeonwheels
Facebook: @hyundaihopeonwheels
#HANDSONHOPE
#EndChildhoodCancer

SOURCE Washington Auto Show

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