35th annual Kids Day donations smash goal of $300,000. Here’s how the money helps

The 35th Kids Day on March 8 smashed this year’s goal of $300,000 in the annual fundraiser for Valley Children’s Hospital, organizers said Friday.

This year the hospital raised $318,288, passing last year’s donations of $270,955. Kids Day was virtual this year, same as the last couple of years, due to COVID-19 concerns.

Donations were made by visiting the Valley Children’s Hospital website or sending a $10 donation by texting “GEORGE” to 20222.

The money raised on Kids Day will go to programs and services that support patients at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera County just across the San Joaquin River from Fresno. The money will also help fund programs like Child Life and Spiritual Services and purchase highly specialized equipment like the da Vinci Robot surgical system and EOS imaging machine. They also help to bring in doctors in much-needed and highly specialized areas like Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery and Neuro-Oncology.

The total raised by Kids Day since its inception in 1988 is approaching $11 million.