Mariève Beaucage, dealer principal, Magog Hyundai; Maria Sanchez, assistant zone manager, aftersales, Eastern Zone and Atlantic Zone, Hyundai Canada; Patrick Fortier, general manager, Hyundai Sherbrooke; Jean-Francois Frenette, co-owner, Hyundai Granby; Peter Codispoti, manager, Eastern Zone and Atlantic Zone, Hyundai Canada; Charlotte, ambassador for the Pediatric Oncology Fund; Dr. Josée Brossard, head of the hematology-oncology service, pediatrics department, CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS; Martin Clermont, executive director, CHUS Foundation; and Yannick Crack, chair of the board of directors, CHUS Foundation
The CHUS Foundation has launched a new Paediatric Oncology Fund in Sherbrooke with support from Hyundai Hope on Wheels, which contributed $100,000 toward the initiative.
The fund, unveiled on Nov. 6, will strengthen paediatric cancer care and research at the Charles-Bruneau Paediatric Oncology Unit at CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS.In Quebec, the organization has now contributed $1.35 million to paediatric oncology programs. The funding was made possible through Hyundai Auto Canada and its network of 225 dealerships.
“Hyundai Hope on Wheels remains committed to advancing paediatric cancer care across Canada and is honoured to support the CHUS Foundation in its mission to improve outcomes for children and families affected by cancer,” said Kirk Merrett, director of human resources and administration and executive administering Hyundai Hope on Wheels in Canada, in a statement.
The contribution supports the CHUS Foundation’s $10-million endowment goal to maintain and expand specialized care for children treated in Sherbrooke. As a member of the Children’s Oncology Group, the largest international paediatric cancer research consortium, the Charles-Bruneau unit participates in a wide range of clinical research projects in Canada and abroad.
Nearly 50 new paediatric cancer cases are diagnosed each year at CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, with more than 1,400 treatments delivered annually. CHUS Foundation executive director Martin Clermont said 95 per cent of children with cancer in the region now receive specialized treatment locally — a major shift from 2018, when only 25 per cent could access care in Sherbrooke.
The foundation says the new fund will help ensure those services continue to grow in the years ahead.
