Hyundai Announces Partnership with Banner Children's at Desert to Promote Child Passenger Safety in Arizona

PR Newswire

Mon, May 12, 2025, 9:00 AM 4 min read

MESA, Ariz., May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope, the corporate social responsibility initiative of Hyundai Motor America, recently presented Banner Children's at Desert with a $25,000 donation to its Injury Prevention program. The donation will enable the hospital to enhance its child passenger safety education programs and offer free onsite safety seat checks and installations to the communities it serves. As Hyundai's inaugural child passenger safety partnership in the Mountain states region, this new collaboration builds on its longstanding program that collaborates with hospital partners nationwide. A ceremonial check was presented to Banner Children's at Desert in Mesa, Arizona.

Hyundai Announces Partnership with Banner Children's at Desert to Promote Child Passenger Safety in Arizona

"At Hyundai, ensuring the safety of our customers is top priority, and our dedication to this principle extends beyond our vehicles," said Cole Stutz, chief safety officer, Hyundai Motor North America. "By collaborating with medical institutions like Banner Children's, we can reach more families and ensure they have the knowledge and resources to protect their children and other road users. This new partnership is a testament to our commitment to expanding the impact of such programs and promoting a culture of safety across the country."

Research indicates that using safety seats can prevent injuries in child passengers during travel, and education is essential for raising awareness. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that safety seats can lower the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. It has recently implemented new federal standards to improve car seat usability and protective features.

Many families encounter challenges in acquiring the proper safety seat for their child, which can result in using expired, recalled, or otherwise unserviceable seats. Programs aimed at educating and implementing these new standards within the community are critical to keep children, families, and other road users safe.

"We are so grateful to Hyundai for this generous support of our Car Seat Safety program," said Rahul Chawla, MD, pediatric intensivist, Banner Children's and Banner Health Foundation board member. "Being able to provide injury prevention education, distribute car seats, and ensure families know how to properly install them is vitally important to our commitment at Banner Children's to keeping kids well and wonderful. This funding will make a significant positive impact in our community."

This donation will be used to purchase car seats for the car seat safety program, a part of the Banner Children's Injury Prevention program, a health and safety program that provides information on preventable injuries and deaths for children. The free program sends safety advocates out to visit schools, churches and community groups, as well as health fairs and safety fairs to give the East Valley community easy-to-follow advice about safety. The Injury Prevention program provides education for children of all ages and their parents.

Banner Children's at Desert
Banner Children's at Desert provides pediatric care for children, from newborns to teens. Services include immediate access to Level I trauma services and emergency care, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, general pediatrics, surgical and rehabilitation services, hematology/oncology, urology, gastroenterology, neurology and outpatient services. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/bannerchildrensatdesert.

Banner Health Foundation
Established in 2001, the Banner Health Foundation engages the community and stewards charitable contributions to advance Banner Health's nonprofit mission of making health care easier so life can be better. Contributions are invested locally to support patient care programs and services operated by Banner's many hospitals and health care facilities across Arizona. For more information, please visit www.bannerhealthfoundation.org.

Hyundai Hope
Hyundai Hope is a corporate social responsibility initiative from Hyundai Motor North America, committed to the principal of Progress for Humanity and the goal of improving the wellbeing of society. Hyundai Hope dedicates time and supplies resources to nonprofit organizations that support the health and safety of individuals and foster positive growth in communities. For more information, visit www.HyundaiHope.com.

Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles, while supporting Hyundai Motor Company's Progress for Humanity vision. Hyundai has significant operations in the U.S., including its North American headquarters in California, the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama assembly plant, the all-new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America and several cutting-edge R&D facilities. These operations, combined with those of Hyundai's 850 independent dealers, contribute $20.1 billion annually and 190,000 jobs to the U.S. economy, according to a recent economic impact report. For more information, visit www.hyundainews.com.