Hyundai Hope On Wheels and Long Beach-area Hyundai dealers today awarded Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach with a $75,000 Hyundai Scholar Grant to Amanda Termuhlen, M.D., medical director, Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach for their teams work in pediatric cancer research. Miller Children’s is one of 43 recipients of Hope On Wheels’ 2012 Hyundai Scholar Grant, which supports principal investigators, known as Hyundai Scholars, who are pursuing research to improve the lives of children battling pediatric cancer.

Over the course of 2012, Hope On Wheels will donate $12 million to children’s hospitals nationwide for pediatric cancer research through its Hyundai Scholar Grant and Hyundai Hope Grant programs. By year-end 2012, Hope On Wheels plans to surpass $57 million in total donations to pediatric cancer research since its inception in 1998.

“Investing in the research of our young faculty members impacts patients care now and contributes to ongoing discovery for decades to come,” says Amanda Termuhlen, M.D., medical director, Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach patients battling cancer placed their handprints in colorful paint on a new Hyundai Tucson, the official vehicle of the program, to commemorate their battles with cancer. Every handprint ceremony celebrates the courageous lives of the children faced with cancer and brings Hope On Wheels’ community of supporters together.

Hope On Wheels primarily provides funds to nonprofit children’s hospitals across the U.S. for pediatric cancer research, and strives to build public awareness about the importance of this cause. The program is funded by Hyundai and its U.S. dealers. With every new vehicle sold in the U.S., Hyundai customers join Hyundai and its dealers in funding important life-saving research.

During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, Hope On Wheels launched its third annual campaign to raise awareness about pediatric cancer and the need to fund critical research to find a cure. As part of its Hyundai Hope Grant program, Hope On Wheels will award 36 grants of $250,000 each to children’s hospitals across the country. Recipients of these grants will be announced in September.

“We see Hope On Wheels as a critical part of our mission at Hyundai,” says John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Pediatric cancer takes far too many young lives and impacts far too many families. We are proud to work with our Hyundai dealers to fund research to end this disease. We congratulate each doctor and institution receiving our grants, and commend them for the important work they are doing.”

For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.