TAMPA (WFLA) – It’s called Hyundai Hope on Wheels and on Wednesday, organizers showed up at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa with their trademark white Hyundai Tucson covered with painted hand prints from pediatric cancer patients as young as 3 years old.
The Tucson was parked in front of the hospital so pediatric cancer patients could have their hands painted and leave their lasting impression on the car.
“We get dirty but it is so fun to put your hand prints on there and look at the car and say hey that’s me right there on that car.” It’s a lot of fun, said 18-year-old Analiz Matos who has been battling cancer at the hospital since she was 4 years old.
“I look at the car and it’s really cool and at the same time it’s really sad because all these hand prints that are vivid in color represent a child that has cancer,” said CEO / Dealer Principal, Hyundai of New Port Richey’s Scott Fink.
“So I would like to one day have a white beautiful Tucson sitting out here with no hand prints that means no child has cancer,” Fink said looking at the car full of hand prints.
And to help make that happen, Fink along with other Tampa-area Hyundai dealers presented St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital with a $50,000 check to be used to support pediatric cancer research and programs.
The check was part of a Hyundai Impact Award given to the hospital for its proven track record of caring for kids with pediatric cancer. St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is one of 25 recipients across the country to receive a 2017 Hyundai Impact Award from Hyundai Hope on Wheels.
