• Valley Children’s Hospital: A Bright Star in Central Valley

    When it comes to hospital facilities for children, Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, Calif., is simply one of the best. It is the only dedicated pediatric facility in California’s Central Valley responsible for serving more than 1.3 million newborns, children and teenagers in 11 counties. Its dedicated staff of more than 550 physicians and its 358 licensed beds make it one of the largest pediatric health care facilities in the United States.

    According to Valley Children’s Hospital, the facility performs more than 12,000 pediatric surgeries each year, and the Cancer and Blood Disease Center is a member of the nationally recognized Children’s Oncology Group. It is also one of fewer than 10 pediatric intensive care units in the U.S. to have received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. And the 2017-18 U.S. News & World Report rankings of Best Children’s Hospitals recognized it as one of the best in the country in pediatric orthopedics, pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, and pediatric gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery.

    Les Schwab’s Bakersfield-area stores are proud to support this indispensable hospital by hosting a donation fundraiser that brought in $14,299. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Central Valley community, who made support for this invaluable hospital possible.

    “It was great to see the stores and communities fundraising for the hospital where their children would actually be going if they needed care,” said Bethany Sowell, development lead, external development, for Valley Children’s Foundation. “We are so grateful to Les Schwab for their participation. They were wonderful to work with.”

    The number of patients using the hospital has increased significantly in recent years, so the donations from Les Schwab’s customers and employees, which were collected over 10 weeks between September and November, are helping to provide life-saving treatments, cutting-edge new technologies and the most compassionate care possible for Central Valley children in need.

    Les Schwab is honored to be part of the Central Valley community and to help support one of its most-important institutions.

    To learn more about Valley Children’s mission and services, visit its official website. To donate or volunteer, please check out the Valley Children’s Foundation's Facebook page.


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  • Dinuba High Programs Prepare Students for College, Career

    At Dinuba High School, some students get a jump start on their career path on their first day.

    The high school has established three academies through the Linked Learning Program: one devoted to a medical pathway, engineering and construction management, which are designed to prepare students for college, career and life.

    Through the four-year programs, students gain real-world experience that allows them to explore, and prepare for potential career paths. In addition to the curriculum, the academies include mentorships, internships, job shadowing and volunteer work, all of which help students become top college candidates.

    “It really prepares them rigorously for whatever college they want to go to,” said Manjeet Dail, the Dinuba Unified School District’s college and career director. “They have the real-life experience that has prepared them.”

    Dail said the career-specific programs help the students understand the value of the classwork. “Engineering students go into math class and may not understand why learning about angles is important, but through the academy, they are shown how their work in the classroom actually applies to their career.”

    Dinuba High’s academies are funded through community support and Les Schwab Tire Centers is honored to be a part of that effort. In our second year of partnership with Dinuba High School, the Dinuba Les Schwab store has helped raise more than $120,000 to go toward the academies.

    We look forward to continuing our support of this innovative school and the greater Dinuba-area community going forward. To learn more about the Dinuba High School Link Learning Academies, check out the school’s official website.


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