The estate of LeRoy A. Giannini has donated nearly $9 million to Valley Children’s, in honor of LeRoy’s parents, Ruth E. and LeRoy G. Giannini. This represents the largest single estate gift in the organization’s history.

“This is a truly remarkable day for Valley Children’s as we celebrate the extraordinary gift of nearly $9 million from the Giannini family,” said Todd Suntrapak, President and CEO of Valley Children’s Healthcare. "This gift is a wonderful tribute to the family’s deep Valley roots, to their lifetime of caring for children and families and to those children who we are privileged to care for at Valley Children’s today and for generations to come.”

For 124 years, the Giannini companies were farming giants in the Central Valley. LeRoy G. Giannini started farming at an early age on 20 acres. LeRoy was 16 when his father was killed in a train accident and, shortly after his high school graduation, he took over the family farming operation.

Under his innovative leadership and steady, hard work, the family business grew to more than 2,000 acres of nectarines and plums, along with a processing plant in Dinuba. At one time in the late 1970s, Mr. Giannini was the largest producer of nectarines in the world. Over the years, the family also raised cattle along the Central Coast.

Mr. Giannini was as generous as he was private. Over the course of his lifetime, he made sizeable contributions to support educational and faith-based organizations in his community but his gifts were not widely publicized. Mr. Jim Burnett, longtime friend and employee of Mr. Giannini and the trustee to his estate, shared that, over the years, Mr. Giannini paid for every Little League team in Dinuba that did not have a sponsor. For his employees and their family members, he would pay for life’s unexpected emergencies, pay to send their children to college and cover funeral expenses for every employee or family member. In Mr. Burnett’s words, Mr. Giannini was a remarkably generous man who ran his business as a family.

A new outpatient center planned for construction on the Valley Children’s Hospital campus in Madera will be named in honor of the Giannini family to serve as a powerful tribute to their generosity.
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Thank you to Vons for welcoming Valley Children's to the Nourishing Neighbors family by way of a $10,000 donation. This grant is part of Vons' campaign to feed local families in need during this crisis. These funds will provide free delivered meals to inpatient family members in their rooms so they can stay with their children and alleviate the need to leave to pick up food. This allows families to focus on help their children in the healing process and staying healthy, too. We appreciate Vons for keeping hearts and bellies full!
For the third consecutive year, The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has generously awarded a grant to fund a licensed clinical social worker to provide mental health services for victims of child abuse at The Guilds Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center. Together, we are proud to provide this service to kids at perhaps the most challenging moment in their lives. Thank you to The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for their continued investment in Valley Children’s.
Stop by Walmart and Sam's Club locations in the Central Valley from June 22 to July 19 and donate to benefit the kids of Valley Children's Hospital. You can support by making a donation at staffed checkout stands. Walmart's fundraising efforts each year provide substantial support to help Central Valley kids receive the care they need. Since 1991, Walmart has generously contributed more than $4 million to Valley Children's Hospital.
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