Hyundai giveaway recognizes health care heroes

When Hyundai Motor America and the National Salute to America's Heroes had to cancel their 2020 Air and Sea Show in Miami Beach, Fla., because of coronavirus concerns, they didn't let it stop them from giving back. Instead, they hosted a giveaway called the Salute 365 initiative for "local healthcare professionals, first responders and others."

Four winners out of 1,859 nominees received a 2020 Hyundai Sonata, and three South Florida students from veteran families received education scholarships.

One Sonata winner, Berkens Jean-Baptiste, is an intensive care cardiovascular nurse at Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. He volunteers at the COVID- 19 ward so that immunocompromised nurses in his unit don't have to. He told Automotive News that his previous car was run-down and the air conditioning was "long gone," which was a problem in the South Florida heat. He had been biking to work as a result.

When his co-workers pulled him out of work one day, he was reluctant to leave and shocked to see his family among a crowd that had gathered outside.

"I thought ... they were going to give me a badge saying thank you for your service," Jean-Baptiste said. When he spotted the car and realized it was a gift from Hyundai, "it was overwhelming, the feeling," he said.

Erik Thomas, senior group manager of experiential marketing at Hyundai, said the Salute 365 initiative embodies Hyundai's dedication to good deeds.

"We're a brand for people created by people," he said. "It's a bunch of individuals doing the work, and so this is something that just represents the best of all those people."