About Us

Credit Unions Kids at Heart® (CU Kids at Heart) is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and one of the largest collaborative fundraising programs in the nation for the credit union community. Eastern Corporate Federal Credit Union (EasCorp) of Burlington, Massachusetts, founded CU Kids at Heart in 1996 with a small group of Massachusetts credit unions. Today, the organization includes dozens of participating credit unions and corporate sponsors nationwide. Our aim is to leverage the collective impact of credit union charitable efforts and to reflect of the industry's belief in collaboration in service of a greater good.

Our mission is straightforward: we are dedicated to helping children lead healthy and happy lives.The organization and its supporters are committed to funding research activities aimed at the prevention, treatment, and/or cure of pediatric neurological diseases, including Moyamoya disease, Cerebral Palsy, pediatric epilepsy and other seizure disorders, and pediatric brain cancer. We work closely with the medical investigators at Boston Children's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and their research affiliates, to provide financial stability to these often underfunded research areas. Our contributions have directly made possible clinical trials, new diagnostic tools, treatment breakthroughs and promising drug therapies, and much more. Since its founding, CU Kids at Heart has raised over $9 million toward these fundraising directives.

News

Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day is May 6, 2025

May 6 is Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day and Credit Unions Kids at Heart®, its Participating Credit Unions, and Corporate Sponsors have organized advocacy initiatives and observances in local communities.

Moyamoya is a rare and progressive neurological disease in which the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain narrow, restricting blood flow. If left untreated, this dangerous disease can cause life-threatening strokes in children and adults, resulting in long-term, debilitating impairments.

Early diagnosis and treatment are critical. On May 6, 2025, help us educate the public and the medical community about this disease. Wear blue, participate in the events listed below, print out this fact sheet provided by Boston Children's Hospital, global leaders in the study of this disease.

Local Events and Activities

To be updated as plans are finalized

  • Proclamations: Substantiative, official proclamations recognizing May 6 as Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day
  • Buildings, Bridges, and Digital Displays: Municipal and privately-owned buildings, bridges, and digital displays will be lit in blue or will include other Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day signs in advance of or on May 6.
  • A number of credit unions will include stories in their newsletters, blogs, and on social media. Merrimack Valley Credit Union, for example, wrote an article about CU Kids at Heart Patient Partner Jackson, a Moyamoya disease survivor. Look for the use of the following hashtags: #MoyamoyaDay, #MoyamoyaAwareness, and #CUKidsatHeart.
  • Workplace Observances: Participating Credit Unions, Corporate Sponsors, and area businesses will recognize the day with their employees, members, and customers in various ways, including, but not limited to, fundraising challenges, wearing blue clothing, sharing educational resources online and on social media, distributing informational flyers, and more.
  • 98.5 The Sports Hub Radio Spots:Longtime CU Kids at Heart media partner 98.5 The Sports Hub will run public awareness campaign spots all day. During the last New England football season, CU Kids at Heart and select Participating Credit Unions partnered with the station and with offensive lineman Mike Onwenu and offensive guard Cole Strange for its First Downs to Fight Moyamoya Disease initiative. For every first down by New England's offense, CU Kids at Heart donated toward promising Moyamoya studies conducted at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

  • Annual Boston Children's Hospital Moyamoya Disease Symposium: Held virtually, hear about the latest Moyamoya data as well as advances in research from eight expert doctors and specialist in Moyamoya disease. Sessions cover a range of topics from new advances, transition from pediatric to adult care and more. Learn more and register on Eventbrite coming soon.

Show your Support

To add your event or observance to our list, or to share your pictures from the day, please contact us at cukidsatheart@eascorp.org.

The CJ Buckley Memorial Fund

In 2019, CU Kids at Heart established the CJ Buckley Memorial Fund for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research to support the groundbreaking work of the Panigrahy Lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Dipak Panigrahy, principal research investigator, and his team study the impact of inflammation on cancer in the hope of stopping the growth of cancerous cells. The fund honors Carter J. Buckley, a young man who passed away in 2002 from brain cancer. Learn more about the research developments in his memory.