BURLINGTON, MA (August 11, 2014) -- More than 50 credit unions from numerous states recently celebrated the completion of their Credit Unions Kids at Heart (CU K@H) 2014 fundraising season with a donation of $300,000 toward research in the battle against childhood illness. CU K@H is a collaborative community service activity that was founded by Eastern Corporate Federal Credit Union (EasCorp) in 1996. Including its most recent donation, the CU K@H Program and its team of dedicated supporters have raised more than $4.3 million to fund pediatric research projects of various types and complexities since then.
Funds from the 2014 campaign have been earmarked to support several pediatric brain research projects, including the search for treatments, therapies, and cures for Moyamoya disease, Sturge-Weber syndrome, and brain tumors. This research is used by pediatric hospitals and other care centers all around the world. The CU K@H program’s partner in this endeavor is Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the leading pediatric research centers on the planet, where scientists have set the pace in treating and finding cures for many debilitating diseases.
The cornerstone of CU K@H’s fundraising efforts each year is the Boston Marathon, the most prestigious and popular road race of its kind. Although the Boston Marathon is a ‘qualifying time’ race, the CU K@H Program is able to procure several of the limited entries awarded for charitable fundraising purposes. As their inspiration for training and finishing the race, CU K@H Marathon Team runners are individually paired with patient partners from Boston Children’s Hospital. Many of the patient partners have extraordinary medical challenges, but they also possess great spirit, faith, and enduring courage. These incredible children, who overcome their own challenges every day, inspire the runners to train throughout the Boston Marathon season. The children are equally inspired by the runners who relentlessly train throughout the winter months that lead up to the race. Runners and patient partners often form a special bond that endures well beyond the Marathon season.
The 2014 Credit Unions Kids at Heart participating credit unions include — 600 Atlantic FCU, Acushnet FCU, Bethex FCU, Boston Firefighters CU, Bridgewater CU, Cambridge Firefighters FCU, Cambridge Teachers FCU, Chelsea Employees FCU, City of Boston CU, Digital FCU, EasCorp, Energy CU, First Citizens’ FCU, Granite State CU, Hanscom FCU, Hingham FCU, HTM CU, Jeanne D’Arc CU, Lynn Firemen’s FCU, Massachusetts Family CU, Members Plus CU, Merrimack Valley FCU, Methuen FCU, Mills42 FCU, MIT FCU, Money One FCU, NASA FCU, New England Teamsters FCU, New Hampshire FCU, Northeastern University FCU, Plymouth County Teachers FCU, Quincy CU, Reading Mass. Town Employees FCU, Revere Municipal Employees FCU, Rockland FCU, RTN FCU, Saco Valley CU, Scient FCU, Seaport CU, St. Anne’s CU of Fall River, St. Dominic’s FCU, St. Vincent Hospital CU, Suffolk FCU, Tewksbury FCU, Touchstone FCU, USAlliance FCU, W.G. FCU, Webster First FCU, Wellesley Municipal Employees FCU, Western Connecticut FCU, and Woburn Municipal FCU.