(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Hyundai Hope on Wheels presented Nationwide Children’s Hospital with two grants totaling $700,000 to support pediatric cancer research. James Reinecke, MD, investigator in the Center for Childhood Cancer at Nationwide Children's Hospital, will receive a Young Investigator grant for $300,000. Samara Potter, MD, MBA, Director of Clinical Cancer Genomics Outreach at the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children’s, will receive the Hope Scholar grant for $400,000.
Nationwide Children’s celebrated the grants with a Handprint Ceremony, during which children battling cancer place their painted handprints on a Hyundai vehicle. The colorful handprints on the official Hope Vehicle represent their individual and collective journeys. Physicians and researchers who receive a grant from Hope on Wheels are named Hyundai Scholars and are presented with a special lab coat.
“We are incredibly appreciative of Hyundai Hope on Wheels for funding our pediatric cancer research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This funding is critically important in supporting our mission of improving the detection and treatment of childhood cancer,” said Dr. Potter.
In 2026, Hyundai Hope on Wheels celebrates its 28th anniversary with $26 million committed to pediatric research and programmatic grants. This brings the organization’s donation total to over $300 million since its inception in 1998. Since 1998, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has awarded over 25 grants to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, totaling over $5,015,000 in funding. Hyundai Hope on Wheels awards grants to researchers at eligible Children’s Oncology Group member institutions, which are focused on improving outcomes, treatments and support for children with cancer.
“Three hundred million dollars in lifetime giving represents the children who are alive today because researchers had the resources to find new treatments,” said José Muñoz, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor Company. “The lives of more than 40,000 children have been saved by this work. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has given families hope when they needed it most. Together with our dealer partners, we have been part of this fight for 28 years, and we are not slowing down. Every vehicle sold helps contribute to this worthy cause. Progress for Humanity is the vision that guides everything we build and everything we give.”
About Hyundai Hope on Wheels
Hyundai Hope on Wheels® is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope on Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing critical research aimed at improving treatments and saving lives. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is one of the largest nonprofit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country. Primary funding for Hyundai Hope on Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 850 U.S. dealers. In 2026, Hyundai Hope on Wheels will reach a lifetime donation total of $303 million in support of more than 1,500 childhood cancer research grants to over 175 hospitals and research institutions.