New Kids Day record amount raised for Valley Children’s: $591,559

A total of $591,559 was raised in Kids Day 2016, a new record for the event that benefits Valley Children’s Hospital, organizers said Wednesday.

The 29th edition of the event was held March 8. About 6,000 volunteers spread throughout the central San Joaquin Valley to sell special editions of The Bee for $1, with the proceeds going to Valley Children’s.

The goal was $550,000. Last year’s total was $545,000, the previous record amount.

Kids Day was started in 1988 by The Bee and ABC30. It has raised a total of $7.9 million in its 29 years. It is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Valley Children’s, the not-for-profit hospital that serves children and patients from an area that covers 11 counties and more than 45,000 square miles.

“We at The Bee would like to thank the community for the donations and the volunteers who sold papers and gave other support to Kids Days,” said Tom Cullinan, publisher and president of The Bee. “We appreciate our long partnership with ABC30 and Valley Children’s Hospital, and look forward to our 30th year of Kids Day.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "New Kids Day record amount raised for Valley Children’s: $591,559."