Hyundai Hope on Wheels Donates $20,000 to Local Nonprofits

HOLYOKE — A check presentation will take place on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m. at the Gary Rome Hyundai dealership located at 150 Whiting Farms Road in Holyoke. Two donations will be made from Hyundai Hope on Wheels: $10,000 to LukeStronger Inc. of South Hadley and $10,000 to Each Moment We’re Alive of West Springfield. Representatives from both organizations will be present to accept their checks.

“At Gary Rome Hyundai, we believe in leading by example and pride ourselves on doing the next right thing. As a Hyundai Hope on Wheels board member for the Eastern Region, I am committed to making a positive impact by supporting local organizations in their fight against childhood cancer,” Gary Rome said. “We are dedicated to striking out cancer and providing hope to those affected by it.”

Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by Hyundai Motor America and its more than 820 U.S. dealers, celebrates its 25th anniversary in its longstanding fight against childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, the organization is one of the longest-running corporate social-responsibility efforts in the automotive industry. In honor of this milestone, Hyundai Hope on Wheels announced plans to award $25 million in research grants this year, its largest donation in a single year, bringing its total giving to $225 million since its inception.

Each Moment We’re Alive was launched by Sheridan Murphy in 2015 after her second bout with breast cancer. She then realized that reaching out, rather than blocking out, was the best chance for survival. Since then, she has helped organize support groups and workshops with a focus on emotional and spiritual health. Sheridan has since expanded her network to help families with all types of cancer, including pediatric cancer.

LukeStronger Inc. is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing assistance to local families dealing with pediatric cancer so that parents can spend time with their children. LukeStronger originated when Luke Bradley, a then 10-year-old boy from South Hadley, relapsed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Local residents rallied to support his family with, among other things, a benefit golf tournament. Complications and another unforeseen relapse kept Luke at Boston Children’s Hospital for 15 months. He underwent a bone-marrow transplant in December 2017 and is doing well today.

Knowing firsthand the financial struggle, Bradley’s family created a nonprofit to help other families by continuing the golf-tournament tradition. Together with friends, in its short history, LukeStronger has helped seven local families fill in the income gap caused by pediatric cancer. All profits go to the family. LukeStronger does not expect repayment.