In 1996, American Heritage became the first credit union in the country to form a charitable organization when it began the Kids-N-Hope Foundation. The impetus for Kids-N-Hope was a visit by American Heritage's CEO, Bruce Foulke, to the Children’s Seashore House of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
$4M Raised Funds
90 Events Held
8000 Kids Helped
Making a Difference in the Lives of Local Children
About Kids-N-Hope
American Heritage Credit Union set forth on an exciting new path when, in 1996, it became the first credit union in the country to form a charitable organization, named the Kids-N-Hope Foundation. The desire to start Kids-N-Hope was inspired by American Heritage CEO Bruce Foulke’s visit to the Children’s Seashore House of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Kids-N-Hope donated its first “ray of hope” in the form of a music therapy program to CHOP. This afforded CHOP the ability to purchase musical instruments and hire a full-time Music Therapist for the program.
To date, Kids-N-Hope has donated over $4 million to local hospitals and not-for-profit organizations, including CHOP. The mission of Kids-N-Hope is to enhance children’s health and life services by supporting music therapy programs, children’s centers, and after school music programs at hospitals and not-for-profit organizations.
Benefits of Music Therapy
Kids-N-Hope believes every child undergoing medical treatment has the right to receive music therapy as an integrated component to their medical care.
Music therapy enacts positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of those experiencing health or educational problems, in addition to having positive effects on:
- Motor skills
- Heart rate
- Anxiety reduction
- Mood regulation
A specially trained music therapist will assess their patient’s emotional and physical health, cognitive abilities, and social and communication skills. Based on these assessments, a tailored music therapy program will be applied to target the clinical goal areas with music-based strategies to promote positive health outcomes.
Get Involved with Kids-N-Hope
Whether through our five unique events or through a generous gift, Kids-N-Hope is always seeking community support!
Learn more about the specific events below and visit Upcoming Events on the right to mark your calendars. Click here [link out] to learn how you can support Kids-N-Hope by Making a Donation.
SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY
We are on a mission to strengthen our communities. Learn how we work to live by the values of community and make a positive, lasting impact on the people in those communities. Help us support that mission!