September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. If you know Kevin Reilly, you know his passion for supporting pediatric cancer research extends back over 20 years. His father, Don Reilly, co-founded Hyundai Hope on Wheels in 1998 with a simple mission: end pediatric cancer by funding research grants. For every Hyundai sold, Hyundai dealers and Hyundai Motor America pooled resources to support this effort. What began as a humble initiative has grown into a charity that, in 2025, will donate $27 million in pediatric cancer research and program grants, bringing its lifetime total to $277 million.

“When you meet these children and their families, you can’t help but be moved,” Kevin says. “Every child deserves a chance to grow up healthy, to dream about their future. That’s why this fight means so much to me—it’s deeply personal.”

Kevin’s journey with Hyundai started with his father, one of the first 50 Hyundai dealers in the U.S. in 1986. He sold his first Hyundai in 1987 while working at his father’s dealership to help pay for Georgetown University. After earning his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, he practiced in Washington, D.C., then pursued an M.B.A. at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 1999 before joining Bain & Company as a strategy consultant.

In 2000, his father persuaded him to return to the auto business—specifically, to open Alexandria Hyundai, which debuted April 2, 2001. For nearly 25 years, Kevin has been part of the Del Ray and greater Alexandria community.

“I thought I was on a different path,” Kevin recalls. “But opening Alexandria Hyundai turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. It gave me the chance to build a business while giving back to a community I truly love.”

His service has earned him honors including the Washington Business Journal Corporate Philanthropy Award, TIME Dealer of the Year, and the Hopkins House Heart of the Community Award.

Kevin’s commitment to ending pediatric cancer drives his work as Vice Chairman of Hyundai Hope on Wheels. He partners with hospitals nationwide to support pediatric cancer programs and serves locally on the Board of Visitors at Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and on the Corporate Advisory Council of Children’s National Hospital. He’s also created unique fundraisers, from the “Hyundai Hands on Hope” contest at the Washington Auto Show to the “Stuff a Santa” holiday campaign for children undergoing cancer treatment.

"Hope on Wheels tackles two of the greatest obstacles we have in finding cures for pediatric cancer: money and awareness," Kevin explains.  "Only four percent of federal funding goes towards pediatric cancer research so Hyundai Hope on Wheels fills an important funding gap.  However, awareness is equally as important.  Hyundai Hope on Wheels is always out in the community sharing our story, and more importantly, the story of brave child cancer fighters all across the nation."

Kevin is equally dedicated to his industry. He has served as Chairman of the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association, the Washington, D.C. Auto Show, and the Hyundai National Dealer Advisory Council. Today, he chairs the Genesis National Retailer Advisory Board.

In 2020, Kevin began reimagining the site of his dealerships in Del Ray. With community support, the project modernized showrooms, prepared operations for fleet electrification, and helped remove one of the greatest obstacles to EV adoption: access to high-speed public charging. Today, the site hosts four Electrify America Level 3 charging stations open to the public.

“Every time I pull in and see someone charging their car, it makes me smile,” Kevin says. “It means we’re helping people take that step toward electric vehicles and making it easier for our neighbors to embrace the future.”

Family Roots and Looking Ahead

On a personal note, Kevin recently returned from a family trip to Lithuania and Poland with his parents, wife, and four children. His mother, who is Polish, has a remarkable history. Her family farm was seized by the Nazis in the late 1930s, and her parents were sent to a German work camp, where Kevin’s mother was born. After the war, Catholic Charities sponsored their immigration to the U.S.

“Walking the same ground where my grandparents suffered and where my mom was born—it hit me hard,” Kevin says. 

"Retracing our family history was profoundly meaningful and something I wanted my children to experience firsthand to pass along to their children someday."

“Del Ray is a special place,” Kevin says. “The sense of community here is unlike anywhere else. My goal is to keep giving back, keep building relationships, and keep supporting the causes that matter. And with Hope on Wheels, I’ll never stop fighting for the day when no parent has to hear those awful words: ‘Your child has cancer.’”