Kia America, which has donated over $14 million to various causes since 2019 through its Accelerate the Good charitable initiative, has pledged to donate a minimum of $1,000,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The car manufacturer announced that it would be donating $8 for every new Kia vehicle purchased or leased in the U.S. between Nov. 11 and Dec. 31 to the world-renowned pediatric treatment facility as part of the initiative’s year-end event.
St. Jude, which specializes in cancer research, does not charge its patients for care. Children treated at the hospital — an estimated 7,800 per year — are enrolled in a clinical research study that aims to find better cancer treatments.
Kia previously donated to the hospital after the company sold its 10 millionth vehicle in the U.S., and again when it announced a new assembly plant in the state of Georgia.
The year-end donation is reportedly meant to incentivize charitable consumers.
“Coming off record third-quarter sales, we anticipate a strong finish to the year and look forward to Kia making a sizeable and impactful donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help them continue their important, and literally life-saving work,” Kia America COO and EVP Steven Center said in a statement.
By setting a minimum donation of $1,000,000, Kia has promised a sizable fund for the hospital even if the company’s sales for the last seven weeks of the year do not make a significant jump from October’s 58,276 units sold.
The initiative is accompanied by a national ad campaign that features St. Jude patients going on a virtual holiday “joyride” through a sea of lights while inside a brand-new Kia vehicle.
