Absolutely Colorado: Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs gets $100,000 for pediatric oncology program
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs is getting $100,000 in grant money to support the hospital's pediatric oncology program.
The grant, which comes from Hyundai Hope on Wheels, will go towards raising awareness and funding research for the hospital. According to officials,
The hospital celebrated the funding today during a Hyundai Hope on Wheels Handprint Ceremony, which officials say is the nonprofit's signature event.
"It's an annual trip out here to Colorado Springs Children's Hospital, and it just feels great to be a part of the fight," Steve Krohn, general manager of the Phil Long Hyundai of Motor City, said. "There's so many people from so many angles that are working on this, and we do our part on the Hyundai side with being the local dealer. We just get to help fund the research that goes into beating the cancer."
Officials say Hyundai Hope on Wheels has been supporting Children's Colorado for 20 years, and has donated over $300 million in donations nationwide since it started in 1998.
Dr. Karol Kerr says the funding helps children not only as they go through cancer treatments, but also the hospital's survivorship program, which helps their families and siblings throughout the process.
The grant money that was awarded on Wednesday is going specifically towards that survivorship program, as well as helping expand the hospital's Spanish educational material, according to Dr. Kerr. She says she hopes to open the doors for those in the Spanish community to seek more care for cancer through these educational materials.
The survivorship program helps kids with cancer and their families see more of the future plan as they continue and exit treatment.
"Kids are so resilient and that's why we very much have a team approach because we want to make the child and their family and their siblings part of that team," Dr. Kerr said.
Imogen Gaede, who is a patient and pediatric oncology researcher at Children's Colorado in Aurora, says the grant money is a chance to help kids like her.
"There's all these people out there that really care about kids and really care about research, and that's really meaningful," Gaede said. "For me it's not just passing it on, it's advancing it and making kids' lives better."
Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.
