Content That Connects, Episode 7 - Hyundai, Hope on Wheels
Little Black Book (LBB) and AdFusion™ from Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) return with the seventh episode of ‘Content that Connects’. Gathering the brightest minds and voices in the industry, the production-focused series tackles topics such as purpose-marketing, in-housing strategies, and sustainability within the production landscape.
This episode shines a spotlight on an organisation that has purpose at the centre of everything it does. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is a nonprofit dedicated to tackling paediatric cancer through research funding and public awareness campaigns. Supported by Hyundai Motor America, over 850 dealerships donate a portion of every new vehicle sold to paediatric cancer research.
To find out more about the charity, LBB’s Americas reporter Ben Conway spoke with Paul Imhoff, director of Hyundai Hope on Wheels and Kevin Reilly, vice chair of Hyundai Hope on Wheels and owner of Alexandria Hyundai.
Both Kevin and Paul have deeply personal connections to the charity. Kevin’s father was one of the co-founders, who, in 1998, realised the need for paediatric cancer research grants across the US.
Sharing more about the origin story, Kevin explains how his father – who at the time was the chairman of Hyundai’s National Dealer Council – had a role in co-founding the charity. “He worked with Hyundai Motor America and the dealer body to put a funding mechanism in place whereby, when every Hyundai is sold, Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai dealers would contribute money, and that money would go to Hyundai Hope on Wheels and would fund paediatric cancer research grants.”
Evolving from that point on, this year marks the 27th year of Hope on Wheels, where $27 million will be donated, and the charity will hit a lifetime total of $277 million.
Meanwhile, Paul has his own connection to the cause, which he candidly shares during the episode. “It goes back to February 10 2016, when the day that Hyundai offered me the job as marketing director was the same day that my son, Reese, 12 years old at the time, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. It’s a rare bone cancer.”
As Paul and his family stepped into the Children's Hospital of Orange County cancer ward, he was met by a sign that linked his professional and personal life in the most surprising way.
“There's a big sign that greets us, called the Hyundai Cancer Institute. So, even though I had been technically an employee for just a few hours, I was probably the most proud employee in the building without even stepping in headquarters yet, just because I knew that my company that I just got hired on is supporting kid’s cancer, so [it was a] very, very personal moment and one of the lowest moments of my life. But then my company is, you know, lifting me up, knowing that they’ve got my back.”
The conversation continues as Paul and Kevin discuss fundraising methods, how the money is distributed, appearances at the Super Bowl and ambitions for the future. They also touch on a particularly poignant aspect of donating: the ‘Handprint’ ceremony that takes place when money is granted to a hospital. Kevin says, “The children who are patients at that hospital will all go around a car; they'll paint their hand a particular colour, maybe it's red, green or blue, and then they'll place that handprint on a vehicle.
“And it's essentially their way, their imprint, to share what they're going through with other children and with the world in that regard. And it's a sign of their courage, their bravery, and, most importantly, their hope that they're going to beat this disease.”
For Kevin and Paul and the countless others involved in Hyundai Hope on Wheels, the charity is a source of pride, purpose and ambition. For Paul, he describes the charity as a “calling” in the years since he lost his son.
Whilst for Kevin, he shares, “As I say to my staff here, ‘We’ll all sell a lot of cars in our lifetime,’ but you know what we do with Hyundai Hope on Wheels would be the greatest thing we've ever done.”
Take a look at previous episodes of Content that Connects here.
