Dr. Richburg was a pioneer in the early stages of cataract surgery, enabling people to see and lead normal lives through surgical intraocular lens implants. He was the first in the San Joaquin Valley and one of the first in the United States to build and operate in his own ambulatory surgical center inside the office. This significantly brought down the cost of cataract surgery and allowed patients to avoid overnight hospital stays for the procedure.

Linda Richburg worked alongside her husband for many years as a registered nurse assisting in surgery. Together, they began Mission Cataract, providing free surgery for blind patients without insurance in the local area who could not otherwise afford the procedure. Mission Cataract has since grown to be a national event.

Both Fred and Linda also enjoyed helping local seniors during Christmas by providing a free Christmas dinner and dance for people without families with whom to spend their holiday. Linda Richburg is proud to continue purposeful philanthropy by supporting the Pediatric Ophthalmology Department at Valley Children’s Hospital in memory of Dr. Richburg.

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, released its “2021-2022 Best Children’s Hospitals” list on Tuesday, June 15, ranking Valley Children’s as one of the best in the country in seven pediatric specialties:

The annual Best Children’s Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 15th year, assist patients, their families and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions.

To read the full News Story click here.

Valley Children’s is a recipient of the “Healthy Relationships Community Grant” from Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The $50,000 grant will go toward mental health resiliency, specifically for those seen at Valley Children’s Guilds Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center.

“For children who are victims of child abuse, shelter in place orders, social distancing and virtual learning have reduced or completely eliminated their contact with trusted adults outside their homes who can report suspected abuse,” says Valley Children's Interim Medical Director for the Guilds Center for Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Dr. John Kinnison. “There is no precedent for the hardships that kids have endured over the last year and the impact is long-lasting, which is why the work to support the mental health resiliency of children is more important than ever. This grant will help us elevate that work.”

Since 2020, MLB and MLBPA have given nearly $2.5 million to organizations that support healthy relationships through programs designed to strengthen and provide critical services to survivors of domestic violence, improve mental health resiliency among vulnerable populations and build and improve relationship skills of the next generation.

To read the full news release from Valley Children’s, please click here, or to read the MLB news article, please click here.

Thank you to Ranchers Cotton Oil and CoBank for their collective gift of $5,000 to support Valley Children's. CoBank generously matched the charitable contribution of Ranchers Cotton Oil, one of their members. We are grateful for their support that directly supports care provided for Central Valley kids.

Our Children's Miracle Network Hospitals partners, Walmart and Sam's Club, will be raising funds for Valley Children's. From June 28 through July 25, please consider donating to Valley Children's when shopping at your local Walmart.

Our Children's Miracle Network Hospitals partner, Dairy Queen, is fundraising for Valley Children's for the next two months. While you're ordering ice cream, please consider donating in the months of June and July!

Valley Children's 7th Annual ABC30 "Futures Worth Fighting For" Telethon is coming up on Thursday, August 12, 2021. For an entire day, ABC30 will be sharing about the services and care Valley Children's provides for the children in our community. We want to express a special thank you to our sponsors for this event.