Celebrating 10 Years of Partnership Hyundai Help for Kids & The Humour Foundation
As we continue our year of celebrating Hyundai Help for Kids’ 10th birthday, we salute The Humour Foundation's Clown Doctors, one of our treasured foundation partners.
Clown Doctors is The Humour Foundation’s flagship program – bringing joy, laughter, and connection to children facing illness and hospitalisation. Their highly skilled team of dedicated performers engage and uplift young patients and carers, while working in partnership with medical professionals to alleviate the emotional and psychological stress that often accompanies a child’s stay in hospital.
The Humour Foundation is the only organisation in Australia to provide medical and healthcare clowning programs, and the Clown Doctors program does not receive any regular government or hospital funding.
With 65 Clown Doctors doing rounds in 21 hospitals and one paediatric hospice nationally, this program is funded solely through community support and the ongoing commitment of partners like Hyundai Help for Kids.
Since 2014, Hyundai Help for Kids has provided this amazing charity more than $1.2 million in funding and vehicle support; enabling them to conduct 978 Clown Rounds, benefiting more than 125,000 children in hospitals all over Australia.
The health benefits of humour and the role of Clown Doctors is a well-researched phenomenon and international studies have proven the many physiological and psychological benefits of laughter to health and wellbeing. Clown Doctors work in partnership with medical and health professionals to divert children during painful and stressful procedures. Working in pairs, Clown Doctors visit wards, paediatric and neo-natal intensive care units, accident and emergency departments, waiting areas, adolescent mental health and various clinics including burns, fractures, and oncology.
The Humour Foundation recently celebrated a decade of Hyundai Help for Kids support with a brilliant collection of social media posts to commemorate our partnership. From the laughter-filled corridors of hospitals to the journeys of the brightly decorated Staria Load named ‘LOL Express’, Clown Doctors have captured content from far flung corners of our country.
Our 10-year journey with Hyundai Help for Kids has been filled with extraordinary moments that have lifted the spirits of so many children. As part of our celebration, we're taking a trip down memory lane to relive these magical experiences.
– Emma Pollard (CEO – The Humour Foundation)
You can watch the entire series of video highlights posted by The Humour Foundation here: Celebrating 10 Years
The commemorations continued when Hyundai Motor Company Australia was honoured by a personal visit from the Clown Doctors to HMCA head office to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our partnership. The event was enthusiastically supported by HMCA personnel and the associated staff, with the fundraising initiative raising more than $8,000 for The Humour Foundation.
If you can give laughter to somebody it’s a great gift and the Clown Doctors have an amazing skill to do just that in the most difficult of circumstances sometimes – we’re very, very proud to support them.
– Bill Thomas (GM Public Relations – HMCA)
Watch the highlights video of this wonderful event here: Clown Doctors visit HMCA
This Clown Doctors’ visit also served to introduce an exciting new initiative Hyundai Help for Kids has been developing with The Humour Foundation – the Red Nose Project. This concept has been created to elevate the gravitas of being the owner of an official ‘Clown Doctors Red Nose’. The Red Nose is a symbolic feature of the Clown Doctor and serves to emphasise the comedic and playful nature of the character. The new intake of ‘Clown Doctors’ occurs annually and the ceremonial presentation of the ‘Red Nose’ will be an integral part of the graduation experience for new inductees, and demonstrate the deep value they bring to The Humour Foundation.
We get invited into the most vulnerable times in people's lives, and we're able to play there and make children feel like children again, and parents feel like they have their children again, and it's because you guys (HMCA) allow us to do that, so we really are very thankful..
- Dr Toot (Clown Doctor)
We have shared some truly amazing memories with The Humour Foundation over the last 10 years and look forward to many more.
If you would too would like to donate to this special organisation , please visit: https://humourfoundation.org.au/donate/
About Hyundai Help for Kids
Hyundai is busy creating the world it envisions. This progressive spirit inspires the work they do for Hyundai Help for Kids, imagining a brighter future for kids in need.
And that’s why at Hyundai Help for Kids… brighter tomorrows, start today.
Hyundai Help for Kids has raised more than $13.5 million as at the end of July 2024 and is an initiative of Hyundai and Hyundai Dealers to lend a helping hand to young Australians and their families.
A dedicated communications and resource hub for the Hyundai Help for Kids program, including a suite of social media outlets, offers connectivity points with the organisation, its partners and their ongoing work.
For further information about Hyundai Motor Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility and for all information related to the Hyundai Help for Kids initiative visit:
Website: Hyundai Help for Kids | Why Hyundai | Hyundai Australia
Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/HyundaiHelpForKids
Twitter: https://Twitter.com/HMCAHelpForKids
Instagram: http://instagram.com/hyundaihelpforkids
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyundaihelpforkids/
* new direct to dealer Hyundai vehicles excluding rental and company cars.